Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won the men’s figure skating event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan–Cortina, taking the gold medal in a major upset over favorite Ilia Malinin of the United States.

Quick Scoop: Who Won Men’s Skating?

  • The men’s figure skating gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics went to Mikhail Shaidorov (Kazakhstan).
  • This is Kazakhstan’s first-ever Olympic figure skating champion, making the win historically significant for the country.
  • Pre-event favorite Ilia Malinin had mistakes in his free skate, which opened the door for Shaidorov’s upset victory.
  • The result immediately became a trending topic across sports news and forums, with fans calling it one of the biggest shocks of the Games.

Why This Is Such a Big Deal

  • Shaidorov’s win is being described as a “stunner” and a “massive upset,” especially given Malinin’s dominance in recent seasons and at U.S. Championships.
  • For Kazakhstan, this gold medal is a landmark moment that could boost the visibility and funding of figure skating and winter sports nationally.
  • On fan forums, reactions range from disbelief to pure excitement, with many praising the emotional impact and composure of Shaidorov’s skate.

Mini Context: Recent Men’s Skating Landscape

  • Ilia Malinin has been a dominant force in men’s skating, including winning the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships by a huge margin.
  • That history is part of why this Olympic result feels so shocking: the narrative was “Malinin vs. the field,” and instead Shaidorov seized the Olympic moment.

Simple HTML Table of the Key Result

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Event</th>
      <th>Discipline</th>
      <th>Gold medalist</th>
      <th>Country</th>
      <th>Notable context</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Winter Olympics 2026</td>
      <td>Men's figure skating</td>
      <td>Mikhail Shaidorov [web:9][web:10]</td>
      <td>Kazakhstan [web:9]</td>
      <td>First Olympic figure skating champion for Kazakhstan; upset over favorite Ilia Malinin [web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

TL;DR: The men’s skating gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics was won by Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, in a dramatic upset over favorite Ilia Malinin.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.