ROME — The 2026 Winter Olympics opened Feb. 6 in Milan-Cortina, where Kazakhstan’s 36 athletes began competition across multiple disciplines. In the first week, the team secured several top-10 finishes and advanced through key qualification rounds as competition unfolded across Italy.

Ilia Malinin saw his Olympic dream unravel after two costly falls during the men’s figure skating final, leaving the American star without a medal. He finished eighth. Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won the gold medal with 291.

In a shocking twist at the 2026 Winter Olympics, American figure skater Ilia Malinin​ didn't make it to the podium after falling twice during the free skate. Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov took home the gold.

Ilia Malinin stumbled under Olympic pressure as underdog Mikhail Shaidorov captured gold in a shocking Olympic men’s figure skating final at Milano-Cortina 2026.

Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov wins Olympic gold in men's figure skating, taking the podium with two Japan skaters after Ilia Malinin meltdown.

Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan's gold medal in men's free skate stunned everyone — including himself. Here's what he had to say. (AP photo)

Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan achieved a historic Olympic figure skating gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, stunning the field with a career-best performance. He landed five quadruple jumps to secure the title,

Ilia Malinin missed out on a medal in a stunning and dramatic men's figure skating final at the Winter Olympics today. The 21-year-old American fell twice in his final free skate to score 156.33 and finish eighth as Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won gold.

Things did not go according to plan for U.S. figure skater Ilia Malinin in Friday’s men’s figure skating final. The 22-year-old entered the competition with high hopes and a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

Yuma Kagiyama entered tonight trailing Ilia Malinin by 5.09 points — and he’s going to have a difficult time catching him. Kagiyama didn’t have his cleanest performance in the free skate, stumbling lightly after a couple jumps on a night he needed to be both aggressive and perfect.