u/Due_Employment_530

Discussion between Ashley Wagner and Sarah Hughes from the latest paid subscriber-only episode of The Runthrough. I thought their points were insightful and pretty much exactly in line with how I feel on this subject. Also not being a doomer here because I know it’s only been one competition so far! Mishaflation is still possible! Just sharing here because I am bored and still a little salty at the Nepela judges lol

Shared on Instagram as a collaboration between Misha’s account and the account @qazaqstan. I’m guessing this is an official government account? If so, that’s pretty legendary. Congrats again to Misha on his new ISU ranking!

Shared on the SHAIDOROVGROUP telegram:

“Misha's free skating costume 🖤

The costume was designed by Sophie Thomas, founder and creative director of the brand ASTRAEE Couture!

According to the designer herself, the main goal was to create a look that appeared both classic and haute couture while highlighting Misha's movements on the ice. Misha's talent and the choreography themselves make the program unforgettable ✨

The blouse color is dark green with a gray undertone 👀

A huge thank you to Sophie for the costume and for sharing the details with us! 🙏”

photo sources: moni_kanozay on Instagram, fsphoto_syo on Instagram

I didn't realize how rare it was for the Olympic champion (at least in men's singles) to stay active following their victory

Ok so this is officially his best costume yet, right?

source: ryfei.fs on Instagram

Wow the Ice Prince nickname is growing on me when I see photos like this

source: ryfei.fs on Instagram

https://results.isu.org/ws/ws/wsmen.htm

(translation by me with google translate)

Mikhail Shaidorov finished third at the Ondrej Nepela Memorial.

He was responsible for perhaps the biggest surprise of the Olympics. He was fifth after the short program. In the free skate, he landed five quadruple jumps and took the provisional lead.

Even he did not expect to remain in the leader's chair until the end of the competition. However, all the others fell and made numerous errors, and so the Kazakh skater Mikhail Shaidorov became the Olympic champion.

The Milan gold medalist competed for the first time since the Winter Olympics this weekend in Bratislava at the Ondrej Nepela Memorial. It also marked the debut of his new programs.

He finished third behind Evgeni Semenenko, who competes as a neutral athlete, and the Italian Daniel Grassl.

A Total of Six Quads

Shaidorov was clearly the biggest international star of the competition. Some fans from abroad came specifically to see him.

After the results were announced, it took a long time for him to make his way back inside the stadium; fans in the stands handed him autograph books, flags, and caps to sign. Several daring fans even tossed their phones to him so he could take selfies with them.

At times it looked quite risky, but Shaidorov caught everything, and not a single phone was broken.

In the short program in Bratislava, the 22-year-old skater landed two quadruple jumps: a Lutz (in combination with a triple toe loop) and a toe loop.

In the free skate, he performed four quads: a toe loop, a flip, a Lutz, and another toe loop in a sequence with a triple Salchow and a double Axel.

He scored 95.98 points for the short program, a new personal best. He improved upon his previous record by 0.48 points.

He received 176.77 points for the free skate. His personal best in that segment is 198.64 points, set at the Olympic Games.

However, since the start of the new season, the men's free skate includes one fewer jumping element, and the program is limited to just two combinations. Consequently, for top skaters who previously performed combinations worth 15 to 20 points, it will be virtually impossible to improve their personal best scores.

He had previously been injured in Bratislava.

"Considering it was the first competition after the Olympics and the first of the season, it wasn't bad. I can still improve in future competitions," said Shaidorov after his free skate.

He answered questions in English, needing his coach's help only with a few specific words and to ensure he had understood the questions correctly.

"I felt really good on the ice. It’s a big arena, and I had great support here," he added.

The traditional Nebelhorn Trophy—also part of the Challenger Series—was taking place in Oberstdorf, Germany, at the same time as the Nepela Memorial. Why did Shaidorov choose the Bratislava event?

"I was here once before, three years ago, but I got injured during the short program and had to withdraw. So I came back; it was a bit of a challenge," he remarked with a smile.

The Gold Medal Is Heavy

Choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne created his new short program set to the music of *Vidacarnaval*. It is a highly energetic, dance-style routine.

"The theme of the short program is the joy of living. I try to enjoy life. This season, I wanted programs that were different from last year's," Shaidorov emphasized.

The free skate is more lyrical, though the music gradually builds in intensity. The choreography was created by Benoit Richaud.

"The concept behind the routine is that I start out withdrawn and closed off, but I gradually open up, and by the end, I am completely free," he explained.

His life changed after winning Olympic gold. People recognize him on the street in Kazakhstan; he has become immensely popular.

At the same time, however, he is aware of the expectations that come with such a result.

"An Olympic medal brings huge responsibility. The gold medal is very heavy," he stressed.

"Every season is challenging. I always want to be better than I was the previous one. I feel like I’ve made progress again this summer, and that makes me happy," the Olympic champion concluded.

link to article: https://sportnet.sme.sk/spravy/krasokorculovanie-michail-sajdorov-memorial-ondreja-nepelu-2026/

Caption “Start of the season in Slovakia.”
Source: muradkurbanov_coach on Instagram

Source: dikschat on Instagram

How would you assess your first competition after the Olympics?

It’s true that it’s very difficult to regroup after the Olympics, but I worked very hard and tried to get back into shape. I’m still building my form at the moment. Hopefully, by the Grand Prix events, I’ll be skating better.

For me, this first competition was actually quite good because I was able to perform my programs in front of an audience. I know what I need to work on and what needs to be corrected. There were some issues with my spins and some shortcomings in the step sequences. Also, the rink here is quite small, and I had only just gotten used to it.

Overall, there’s still a lot of work to do, and that makes me happy. Men’s singles has a lot of strong competition, as always. It’s motivating and makes me want to keep skating and improving.

Is the fact that athletes competing under neutral status are participating also motivating?

Of course. Everyone knows that Russian skaters are among the strongest. Naturally, that’s motivating, and we can see how well they skate. The competition will only keep growing, and I’m very happy about that. Figure skating should be difficult.

Were you disappointed to be only third after the short program?

No, there’s no disappointment at all. There are simply things I need to work on. It’s great that the competition is so strong - you can’t afford mistakes. Even small imperfections always make a difference.

And it’s great that, essentially, everyone is competing on equal footing. In the end, the skater who performs cleanly and perfectly is the one who wins.

The crowd supports you very loudly. Does that create pressure, or does it motivate you?

Quite the opposite. I think support is very important for any athlete. I also noticed that there were people from Kazakhstan here cheering for me.

For me, that’s a huge victory, because I remember back in 2024, when I qualified for the Grand Prix Final, I saw that many people from Kazakhstan had started attending my competitions. That’s incredibly motivating and rewarding.
The fact that I’m helping make figure skating more popular in my country means a lot to me.

the song that’s with the post 👀

takes a long drag off a cigarette… well damn at least he looks happy, healthy, and handsome!

Misha celebrating with Murad Kurbanov + pics from autograph session (source: markmoykrush1 on TikTok)

Shared on his Instagram on 9/25/26