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American Skating Star Malinin Stumbles, Kazakh Shaidorov Seizes Gold in Milan
MILAN – A shocking turn of events at the Milan Cortina Olympics saw American figure skating phenom Ilia Malinin fall twice during his free skate Friday night, costing him a spot on the podium and opening the door for Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov to clinch an unexpected gold medal.
Malinin, who had held a commanding lead after the short program, needed only a solid performance to secure individual gold, adding to his team event triumph. However, the 21-year-old’s night unraveled with two falls, leaving him visibly emotional and a star-studded crowd inside Milano Ice Arena in stunned silence. This performance marks one of the most challenging nights of his burgeoning career.
Shaidorov delivered a career-best performance, earning 291.58 points and securing Kazakhstan’s first gold medal of the Winter Games. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama claimed his second consecutive Olympic silver medal, while his teammate Shun Sato took home the bronze.
Malinin ultimately finished in eighth place with 264.49 points, bringing an end to his impressive two-plus year unbeaten streak, which encompassed 14 competitions, including his dominant victories at the past two world championships.