Mikhail Shaidorov, 21, of Kazakhstan took everyone (and probably himself) by surprise last season, when he jumped into the ISU Grand Prix Final as an alternate, finishing in fifth place. After that breakthrough, he won the 2025 ISU Four Continents Championships and earned silver at the 2025 ISU World Championships in Boston, MA, in March. Shaidorov holds the distinction of being the first (and, to our knowledge, only) skater to have landed a quadruple jump combination with a quad as the second jump.
Earlier this month, at 2025 Saatva Skate America in Lake Placid, NY, Shaidorov won the free skate and placed second overall, just over two points behind winner Kevin Aymoz of France. The points he lost to Aymoz were due to lower artistic scores. Shaidorov’s technical content in the free program was the strongest of the event: He attempted five quads, and landed three, including his signature triple Axel/Euler/quad Salchow combination. Shaidorov’s silver medal at Skate America, combined with his bronze at the 2025 Cup of China, earned him a spot in this week’s ISU Grand Prix Final (this time, without having to rely on a last-minute substitution).
Shaidorov’s success hasn’t come out of nowhere. He’s been a skater to watch since at least 2022, when he won silver at the ISU Junior World Championships. But his longtime coach, 1994 Olympic men’s champion Alexei Urmanov, said that his student’s potential wasn’t always so evident.
“It was definitely not from the start. I met him in 2017 at a training camp I hosted, and Mikhail was not able to do much then,” Urmanov said at Skate America. “The following year, he came to train with me in Sochi. I rather quickly understood his potential when I started coaching him, because he was a fast learner and hard worker, and I knew I could work with him. He is very coachable. This is very important. Someone once said you cannot teach a person anything–a person can only learn!”
Our correspondent Victoria Burdman sat down to speak with Shaidorov briefly following his free skate at Skate America. This interview was conducted in Russian and translated to English by Burdman.
Q: Can you share your thoughts about your performance and the result today?
Shaidorov: It was very difficult today. More mentally than physically. The season has been rather hard for me. The prior season was also difficult, but I felt like I had given everything and got a World silver medal in return. It was difficult to get into this season, mentally, after that. But now I feel that I am fighting–fighting with myself–and I keep trying. Today was hard. The jumps were okay; I was confident overall. But it felt like the ice was … slippery for me. So it did not go too great. I am trying to do five quads in the [free] program, but it’s been challenging. The overall result here is not too bad, of course. It was important to get into the Final, and I did it. I am satisfied. The first part of the season is going okay, and now I need to prepare for the Final. I want to improve.
Q: What will you focus on during the preparation for the Grand Prix Final?
Shaidorov: I will change the free program content a little. I am not sure yet. Last season I did four quads [in the free skate], and I handled it well. This season, I would really like to have five quads. So far, it has been challenging. This, at Skate America, has been my third time skating with five quads this season. The first time it didn’t work; the second time, I fell from the last quad. Today … I thought the [quad] flip was good. But then I got somehow twisted–and, surprisingly, for me–I fell. It is a rare thing for me. The second fall [during the quad toe loop] was also surprising to me. But I understand I have work to do. And I strongly want to do five quads. But I also will be thinking about what I can change and what I can do better. Of course, firstly, I want to show the program. And, with five quads, it is very challenging.
Q: Are you considering removing one of the quads?
Shaidorov: I might remove one, or I might train the program up more. I am training it a lot, but I would love to be able to showcase the program. I understand that, today, I did not show the program.
Q: What does it mean for you to not “showcase” the program today?
Shaidorov: Emotions. I did not perform, emotionally, the program I wanted.
Q: Did the jump mistakes get in the way?
Shaidorov: Five quads is very difficult physically, to skate to the end, and it adds to the pressure. I think I will be able to work on it, and it will get better. There are many competitions ahead where I could show improvement.
Q: Your signature combo, triple Axel/Euler/quad Salchow, worked well today.
Shaidorov: It was my third time [performing it] in competition this season. The first time was at CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge–well done. At the Cup of China, it was called underrotated. This time [at Skate America], I did it as I planned.
Q: Is the uniqueness of this combo motivating for you?
Shaidorov: Yes, it is very motivating. I think I can do even more new things. But this is my first Olympic season, and a difficult season in general. Still, I want to develop. And develop not only the jumps, but improve the overall cleanness of my skating, and the presentation of the programs. At this time, this [free] program is challenging for me, hard to skate through the end. But I chose the music myself, and I really want to skate it.
Q: What is your training environment like, and who is part of your coaching group?
Shaidorov: There is Alexei Urmanov, Ivan Righini [former Italian national champion], and Ivan Meshcheriakov [former dancer], who is my off-ice choreographer. Everyone is motivating me. They are all either with me in Kazakhstan or online. Meshcheriakov is always with me. Alexei Urmanov and Ivan Righini are more online. But during the off-season, we were all together in Kazakhstan until Cup of China, with Alexei Urmanov joining online sometimes. As a whole, I like my training setup. My dad [Stanislav Shaidorov, also a figure skating coach] is not officially participating, but gives me advice, of course.
Q: Do you have other high-level skaters to train with?
Shaidorov: I have not been part of a group for three years now. The first year, it was difficult, I was not used to it. But it happened this way. And now I understand that it’s the best for me, personally.
