Mikhail Stanislavovich Shaidorov (Russian: Михаил Станиславович Шайдоров; born 25 June 2004), nicknamed Misha, is a Kazakhstani figure skater. He is the 2026 Olympic Champion, 2025 World silver medalist, the 2025 Four Continents champion, a four-time Grand Prix medalist, a three-time Challenger Series medalist, the 2025 Asian Winter Games bronze medalist, and five-time Kazakh national champion (2019–23). At the junior level, he is the 2022 World Junior silver medalist and the 2021 JGP Poland silver medalist. He is the first skater from Kazakhstan to ever medal at a World Junior Championships as well as the first skater from Kazakhstan to qualify for a Grand Prix Final on the senior level. Additionally, Shaidorov is the first skater in history to land a triple Axel-quadruple toe loop jump combination and a triple Axel-Euler-quadruple Salchow jump sequence in an ISU competition. At the 2026 Winter Olympics, Shaidorov made history as the first figure skater from Kazakhstan to win an Olympic gold medal and became the second Kazakhstani athlete to win gold at a Winter Olympics. == Personal life == Shaidorov was born on June 25, 2004, in Almaty, Kazakhstan. His father, Stanislav, is a former competitive figure skater and a three-time Kazakhstani national champion. Prior to becoming a figure skater, Shaidorov trained in artistic gymnastics as a young child. Shaidorov has publicly condemned Russian media outlets for often labelling him as a Russian athlete, saying, "It's disrespectful to me... I was born, lived, and still live in Almaty, and I spend a lot of time in Kazakhstan, in my beloved city. I'm very happy to have the opportunity to train under Alexey Evgenievich Urmanov, with whom I've been working together for a long time. But I started skating at the Ramstore shopping center, where many figure skaters got their start, including Denis Ten. It had one of the very first rinks in Kazakhstan." In 2024, Shaidorov received a secondary vocational education diploma, specializing in physical education, at the Sochi Institute of Peoples' Friendship University of Russia. He is currently a student at the Kazakh Academy of Sports & Tourism. He also speaks Russian and some English. Following his win at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Kazakh singer, Dimash Qudaibergen, announced that he would gift Shaidorov with a car as thanks for using one of Qudaibergen's songs as his free skate music during the Games. He was also offered a three-bedroom apartment in Astana from construction company, ULYTAU Group. Moreover, Kazakh businessman, Arsen Tomsky, announced that he would gift Shaidorov's father with an Audi Q8 after having learned that Stanislav had once sold his car to help fund Shaidorov's career as a competitive figure skater. == Career == === Early career === In 2010, at the age of six, Shaidorov began learning how to skate after constantly being brought to the rink inside of a Ramstore shopping center where his father, Stanislav, worked as a figure skating coach. Originally coached by Stanislav, Shaidorov eventually became passionate about the sport after watching the 2015–16 figure skating season on TV and becoming inspired by watching Yuzuru Hanyu compete and constantly break world record scores. In addition, watching Denis Ten's contribution to the development of all figure skating in Kazakhstan also started serving as a motivating factor to Shaidorov. In early 2017, Shaidorov and his dad attended a training camp hosted by former Russian Olympic champion, Alexei Urmanov. It was during that camp where Shaidorov landed a double axel for the first time which pushed Shaidorov to begin learning how to jump triples, achieving this feat less than a year later. Due to the lack of training rinks with elite-level skaters in Kazakhstan at the time, Shaidorov's parents made arrangements for their son to move to Russia when he was fourteen years old. He initially trained in Moscow before eventually settling in Sochi in 2018 to train under Alexei Urmanov full-time. === 2019–20 season: First national title === Shaidorov won his first national title at the 2020 Kazakhstani Championships. He was then selected to compete at the 2020 World Junior Championships, finishing in twenty-second place. === 2020–21 season: Back injury === The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic greatly curtailed both training and competitive opportunities for Shaidorov and other skaters, and he dedicated himself to improvement via off-ice training for long periods. He began his season by winning his second consecutive national title at the 2021 Kazakh Championships. He went on to win the bronze medal at the 2021 Sofia Trophy. Despite being selected to compete at the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, Shaidorov would injure his back shortly before the event, which would ultimately impact his performance. He would place thirty-second in the short program and fail to advance to the free program segment. === 2021–22 season: World Junior silver medal === Due to Shaidorov's ongoing back injury preventing him from training to full capacity, he and coach, Alexei Urmanov, made the difficult decision to not compete at the final Olympic qualifying event for the 2022 Winter Olympics. With the resumption of international junior competition, Shaidorov was given one assignment on the Junior Grand Prix, winning the silver medal at the 2021 JGP Poland. This was the first JGP medal for a Kazakhstani male skater since Denis Ten in 2008. He went on to make his Challenger series debut, placing ninth at the 2021 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge. At the 2022 Four Continents Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, Shaidorov finished fifth. Reflecting on his limited competitive opportunities in recent years, he said that "since it happens so seldom, sometimes things don't go as it should. The competitions this season went well." Although initially selected to compete at the 2022 World Championships in Montpellier, France, Shaidorov was forced to withdraw after being denied a visa by the French Embassy. However, he was able to attend the 2022 World Junior Championships in Tallinn. Shaidorov placed eighth in the short program but second in the free skate, ultimately winning the silver medal and becoming the first Kazakhstani skater to win a medal at the World Junior Championships. === 2022–23 season === Shaidorov began his season at the 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy, finishing eighth. Although he was selected to compete on the Grand Prix series at the 2022 Grand Prix de France and the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo, Shaidorov withdrew from both events after becoming ill with the Epstein–Barr virus and requiring hospitalization. Despite illness, he went on to compete at the 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb and finished fourth. Selected to compete at the 2023 Winter University Games, Shaidorov finished fourth after placing sixth in the short program and third in the free skate. At the 2023 Four Continents Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Shaidorov only arrived the day of the short program due to issues obtaining a visa to compete at the event. He also developed a bad case of acute otitis media. Shaidorov placed twelfth in the short program and fifth in the free skate, scoring a personal best free skate and combined total score. He ultimately finished fifth overall. Shaidorov said he was "thrilled" with his free skate performance. Competing at the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, Japan, Shaidorov finished fourteenth after placing eighteenth in the short program and twelfth in the free skate. === 2023–24 season: First senior Grand Prix medal === A groin injury forced Shaidorov to withdraw from the 2023 CS Nepela Memorial, but he was able to make his Grand Prix debut at the 2023 Skate Canada International, where he finished fifth. He set new personal bests in the short program and total score. At Shaidorov's second assignment, the 2023 Cup of China, he was third both in the short and free portion of the men's competition and finished with the bronze medal. He again set new personal bests, and said he was "pleased" with his first senior Grand Prix medal. Shaidorov won the silver medal at the 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, winning his first ISU Challenger Series medal. Shaidorov placed sixth at the 2024 Four Continents Championships in Shanghai, China. He deemed his performances "somewhat acceptable," admitting he was "seldom satisfied with my performances." He later won gold at the 2024 Challenge Cup at the end of February. Shaidorov concluded the season at the 2024 World Championships, where he came fourteenth. === 2024–25 season: History-making jump combinations, World silver medal, Four Continents title, and Grand Prix Final === Shaidorov began the season by winning the 2024 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge. Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, Shaidorov finished fourth at the 2024 Grand Prix de France. At the event, he became the first skater in history to land a triple Axel-quadruple toe jump combination. "I am so happy I have landed the triple Axel-quad toe combo!" said Shaidorov following the event. "It is an amazing feeling to have made this history." Three weeks later, Shaidorov competed at the 2024 Cup of China, where he placed second in the short program. He won the free skate with a new personal best score and remained in the silver medal position overall. Following the event, he expressed elation with the result, saying, "It's mind-blowing. I did everything cleanly, yeah, there was a mistake on the choreo sequence, I got a deduction for that. I think it's not a big deal because the ice was already not so good by that time. I'll keep improving and gaining more speed for that element in the future." Due to Shaidorov's Grand Prix series results, he was named as the first alternate for the 2024–25 Grand Prix Final. Shaidorov was ultimately called up to compete following the withdrawal of Adam Siao Him Fa. This marked the first time in history that a skater from Kazakhstan qualified for a Grand Prix Final on the senior level. At the Final in Grenoble, France, Shaidorov placed third in the short program following a clean skate. In the free skate, he attempted and successfully landed a triple Axel-Euler-quadruple Salchow jump sequence, becoming the first skater ever to do so. Despite this, he placed sixth in that segment, and dropped to fifth place overall. "I feel good, but I'm very tired and I want to take a rest for the next second half of the season," he said after the free skate. "My jumps were not good. I don't have the components and don't know why." In January, Shaidorov placed fourth at the 2025 Winter World University Games in Turin, Italy. He then went on to win bronze at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China. One week later, at the 2025 Four Continents Championships in Seoul, South Korea, Shaidorov skated a clean short program, winning the segment. During the free skate, Shaidorov landed four clean quad jumps, including a triple Axel-Euler-quadruple Salchow jump sequence. Shaidorov posted a personal best free skate score, winning the segment and taking the gold medal overall, over twenty points ahead of silver medalist, Cha Jun-hwan. He became only the second skater from Kazakhstan to win a Four Continents Championships behind Denis Ten. Following the event, Shaidorov said, "This season has been a breakthrough for me. I am very happy I was able to show my jump combination as planned. This gold medal means a lot to me. Ten years ago, Denis Ten won the first gold medal of the Four Continents Championships for Kazakhstan here in Seoul. Now I am able to return this medal to our country. I am happy to have done it here in Seoul as this is one of my favorite cities." Prior to World Championships, reigning World Champion, Ilia Malinin, gave a nod to Shaidorov in an interview: "I mean, I really want to just throw my hat down for him," said Malinin. "I'm really impressed and really happy for him that he went for these combinations. It's something that I really like to see, people pushing their own limit, pushing the sport to its boundaries to really come out as unique or different from all the other skaters. So, I really give him big props and we’re really friendly with each other. We talk about these combos a lot and it's just really fun to see another person really trying to push their own body and their own physical limit." In March, at the 2025 World Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, Shaidorov placed third after the short program and ultimately won the silver medal with a new personal best free skate score. After the event, he said "I just wanted to skate the best I can, enjoy all the emotions in this beautiful arena. I wanted to give my maximum. I did not think that I would end the season in this way. I just enjoyed the moment. I thought that there are no limits in this world." In June, the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan announced that Shaidorov would receive a grant for the upcoming Olympic season. === 2025–26 season: Historic Olympic gold medal in Milano Cortina === Shaidorov opened his season by winning gold at the 2025 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge for a second consecutive time. He then competed on the 2025–26 Grand Prix series, winning the bronze medal at the 2025 Cup of China. "There were mistakes, but overall, I am very satisfied," he said after the free skate. "I tried not to miss anything, to go till the end, no matter how hard it was." The following month, he rose from the third place to claim the silver medal at 2025 Skate America. He made mistakes in both programs and said: "For me it's quite difficult to get into the season and I think the mistakes were more like a mental thing. I think I got a lot of experience from this competition and so I think it will get better." In December, Shaidorov placed sixth at the 2025–26 Grand Prix Final. After the free skate, he said, "It was good, not perfect, but I was fine. Today, it was a fight with me. I really enjoyed skating this program today and showing it to the public. I really love this music, and it’s just about getting more practices and skating it more and more and do my best at the Olympics." The following month, Shaidorov finished in fifth place at the 2026 Four Continents Championships. He was fourth after the short program and second in the free skate. "I think my performance was okay, a working run-through," said Shaidorov after the free skate. "Unfortunately, I made a mistake on the first combination, and I could not do it at this competition. There is something to work for the Olympic Games, but overall, I am pleased with my performance." On 10 February, Shaidorov competed in the short program in the men's singles event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, placing fifth in that segment. Following his performance, he said, "It was very nerve-wracking because this is not the World Championship, this is the Olympic Games. So that’s actually really hard. But I was able to overcome the nerves that I had. I was able to skate, enjoy it, and do a good job. And there was nothing more to do than what I can do—not trying to do more than I can do, just to do what I can do." Two days later, on the day of the free skate, Dimash Qudaibergen, who performed the vocals for "Confessa - The Diva Dance," the song that Shaidorov selected for his free program, wished Shaidorov luck on his Instagram Stories. Shaidorov delivered an almost perfect free skate, with his only error being his quad Lutz attempt being deemed as landing on the quarter. The rest of the program contained four clean quadruple jumps, including his signature triple Axel-Euler-quadruple Salchow jump sequence. With this performance, he scored a personal best free skate and combined total score. Following his performance, the top three skaters, including heavy favourite Ilia Malinin, faltered and made several jump errors. Because of this, Shaidorov managed to climb up to first place overall. With this gold medal-winning result, he became the first figure skater from Kazakhstan to win an Olympic gold medal and only the second Kazakhstani Winter Olympic champion after Vladimir Smirnov's title in the men's 50 km cross-country at the 1994 Winter Olympics. Following the unexpected result, Shaidorov expressed, "I don't even know... these emotions are incredible. I've been working for this since childhood. Today, I just wanted to enjoy the moment and show everything I've worked on for all these years — and I did that. I don't even know how to describe how I feel. I gave everything, and it feels like life rewarded me." He further reflected, "It would have probably meant a lot to Denis [Ten] because he paved the road for us. He paved the road for young athletes, not only for me. Perhaps this road was very thorny for him and for me, but that's the way things turned out, and I want to thank Denis for what he did for our sport, for our country. It means a lot for me and for my country because I really want to see our sport to grow in Kazakhstan. I will do everything to make that happen and I hope that little kids will sign up for this sport, that there will be conditions that encourage that, and that this medal will bring a lot of motivation to young athletes who will now know that there are no limits at all." The day after Shaidorov's historic result, it was reported that Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Sports would pay Shaidorov 123.7 million tenge ($250, 000 USD) for his accomplishment and that he would be awarded the Order of Barys from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.. == Programs == == Competitive highlights == == Detailed results == === Senior level === Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships. Personal best highlighted in bold. === Junior level === Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships. == References == == External links == Mikhail Shaidorov at the International Skating Union Mikhail Shaidorov at Skating Scores Mikhail Shaidorov at Milano Cortina 2026 Mikhail Shaidorov at Olympics.com Mikhail Shaidorov at Olympedia Mikhail Shaidorov on Instagram