MILAN:
Mikhail Shaidorov mentioned his Olympic males’s determine skating gold proved “nothing is unattainable” after stunning US star Ilia Malinin on Friday to make historical past for Kazakhstan.
Shaidorov, the world silver medalist, had been in fifth after Tuesday’s quick programme however delivered a technically distinctive free skate to seize gold as Malinan completed off the rostrum in eighth.
Shaidorov hit 5 quads and an unimaginable opening triple Axel-Euler-quadruple Salchow mixture which racked up huge factors and settled his nerves.
Shocked by his victory, he paid tribute to Malinin: “He is essential for determine skating, he’s one of the best skater in historical past.
“I nonetheless cannot consider I am an Olympic champion.”
Malinin, a two-time defending world champion and undefeated for over two years, had been main after the quick programme, however he capitulated and finally completed fifteenth within the free skate and eighth general.
The 21-year-old fell twice and singled his try at a primary quadruple axel in Olympic historical past with solely three clear quads for the skater who hit a file seven on his strategy to victory within the Grand Prix remaining the place Shaidorov completed sixth.
“After I was watching Ilia skating I used to be shocked as a result of often he is distinctive and I do not know what precisely occurred,” Shaidorov mentioned.
“I used to be rooting for him. Whenever you’re nervous you can also make errors, as they are saying in determine skating ‘the ice is slippery’.
“Everybody was very nervous and we had been all underneath stress.
“I instructed him (after the competitors) it was extremely troublesome for me to share the identical ice as him.”
Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, second after the quick programme, additionally fell throughout his routine, however took silver forward of compatriot Shun Sato who moved up from ninth.
France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, who had been third, dropped to seventh.
“It was vital for me to indicate good skating and what I had discovered,” Shaidorov mentioned.
To calm his nerves, Shaidorov revealed he had assembled Lego earlier than taking to the ice.
His free skate to “The Diva Dance” earned him private greatest scores of 198.64 for the routine and 291.58 general.
Stars align
Such was his reduction he collapsed on the ice after his four-minute routine.
“I felt relieved this unimaginable stress was gone,” he mentioned. “I did all the pieces I may and nothing else relied on me that second.”
Shaidorov mentioned that his world silver medal had had a big effect on the recognition of the game in his nation.
“I hope after my victory we’ll have higher situations for younger individuals to affix the game and know that nothing is unattainable.”
The 21-year-old’s gold was solely the second title for Kazakhstan at a Winter Olympics after Vladimir Smirnov received cross-country gold in Lillehammer in 1994.
Kazakh determine skater Denis Ten received males’s determine skating bronze on the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
And Shaidorov praised Ten, who died aged 25 after being stabbed by automobile thieves.
“Denis Ten influenced me and determine skating in Kazakhstan. He opened the door for us.
“I hope this medal will open the door for skaters from Kazakhstan to know the sky is the restrict.
“At this time the celebrities aligned for me.”
