“Mixed feelings”: Mikhail Shaidorov on Ilia Malinin’s performance

Tengrinews.kz – Kazakhstan’s Olympic champion Mikhail Shaidorov shared his emotions after watching his main rivals perform in the free skate and spoke about his relationship with U.S. favorite Ilia Malinin, citing Olympics.com.
Ahead of the free program, many experts believed the Kazakh skater had a strong chance of winning a medal, but most predicted victory for Malinin, the reigning world champion and Olympic team gold medalist.
In the end, several top contenders, including the American star, struggled under pressure and made mistakes in their programs. Shaidorov, however, delivered a near-flawless performance, skating at the peak of his abilities.

“When Ilia was skating, I had mixed feelings, and I really wanted to say a few words of support to him. I was worried about everyone who performed after me because I know what path they went through to reach these Olympic Games"“I was worried about each of them. I supported them, applauded them, and tried to give them as much confidence as possible,” Shaidorov said in an interview with the International Olympic Committee’s press service.

After the final skate, when it became clear that Shaidorov had won Olympic gold, he and Malinin approached each other, embraced, and exchanged a few words.

“Ilia is an excellent athlete, but above all, he is a wonderful person. I want to support him because we have been side by side since junior competitions. I am incredibly grateful to Ilia and to figure skating for bringing us together. We are one big family. We don’t just compete against each other — we help develop the sport together. There will be many competitions ahead where we will continue doing that,” the Kazakh skater said.

Shaidorov became Kazakhstan’s first Winter Olympic champion since 1994 and the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medalist in men’s singles figure skating.
After the short program, he was in fifth place, but in the free skate he set a personal best and surpassed all his rivals to claim gold.
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