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Mikhail Shaidorov
Kazakh figure skater From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mikhail Stanislavovich Shaidorov (Kazakh: Михаил Станиславович Шайдоров; born June 25, 2004) is a Kazakh figure skater. He is the 2025 World silver medalist, 2025 Four Continents champion, 2024 Cup of China silver medalist, 2023 Cup of China bronze medalist, 2024 Denis Ten Memorial Challenge champion, 2023 Golden Spin of Zagreb silver medalist, 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.[1][2] 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.[3][4]
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Personal life
Shaidorov was born on June 25, 2004, in Almaty, Kazakhstan.[5] He is a student at the Kazakh Academy of Sports & Tourism.[6]
Career
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Early career
As a figure skating coach, Shaidorov's father, Stanislav, would constantly bring his young son to the rink he worked at. Eventually, Shaidorov began skating himself in 2010 at the age of six. Originally coached by his father, 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.[7][8]
In early 2017, Shaidorov and his dad partook in 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. This incident pushed Shaidorov to begin learning how to jump triples, which he achieved less than a year later.[7]
Due to the lack of training rinks with elite-level skaters at the time in Kazakhstan, Shaidorov's parents made arrangements for their son to move to Sochi, Russia, in 2018, so that he could train under Alexei Urmanov full-time.[7]
2019–20 season
Shaidorov won his first national title at the 2020 Kazakh Championships. He was then selected to compete at the 2020 World Junior Championships, finishing in twenty-second place.[5]
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.[9] 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.[5]
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.[5][10]
Along with his coach, Alexei Urmanov, Shaidorov would later make the difficult decision to not attempt qualifying for the 2022 Winter Olympics due to his injury preventing him from training to full capacity and prepare for Olympic qualifying events.[5][10]
2021–22 season: World Junior silver medal
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 Kazakh male skater since Denis Ten in 2008.[11] He went on to make his Challenger series debut, placing ninth at the 2021 Denis Ten Memorial Challenge.[5]
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."[12]
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.[13][5] 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 Kazakh skater to win a medal at the World Junior Championships.[1][9]
2022–23 season
Shaidorov began his season at the 2022 Finlandia Trophy, finishing eighth.[5] 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.[14]
Despite illness, he went on to compete at the 2022 Golden Spin of Zagreb and finished fourth.[5] 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.[15] He also developed a bad case of acute otitis media.[7] 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.[14][16]
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.[5]
2023–24 season: First senior Grand Prix medal
A groin injury forced Shaidorov to withdraw from the 2023 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.[17][7] 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.[18] Shaidorov won the silver medal at the 2023 Golden Spin of Zagreb, winning his first ISU Challenger Series medal.[5]
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."[19] 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.[5]
2024–25 season: History-making jump combinations, Grand Prix Final, Four Continents title, Worlds silver medal.
Shaidorov began the season by winning the 2024 Denis Ten Memorial Challenge.[5]
Competing 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 loop jump combination.[3][20] “I am so happy I have landed the triple Axel-quad toe combo!” said Shaidorov. “It is an amazing feeling to have made this history."[21]
Prior to 2025 World Championships, USA's 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.”[22]
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."[23]
Due to Shaidorov's Grand Prix series results, he was named as the first alternate for the 2024–25 Grand Prix Final.[24] Shaidorov was ultimately called up to compete following the withdrawal of Adam Siao Him Fa.[25] This marked the first time in history that a skater from Kazakhstan qualified for a Grand Prix Final on the senior level.[2] At the Final in Grenoble, France, Shaidorov placed third in the short program following a clean skate.[26][27] 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.[4][27] Despite this, he placed sixth in that segment, and dropped to fifth place overall.[28][27] “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.”[27]
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.[20] 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."[29]
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.[30] 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."[20][31]
In June, the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan announced that Shaidorov would receive a grant for the upcoming Olympic season.[32]
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Programs
Competitive highlights
- GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
- JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
- CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
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Detailed results
- Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships.
Senior level
Junior level
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References
External links
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