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Tengrinews.kz – Olympic figure skating champion Mikhail Shaidorov was warmly welcomed at Astana Airport following his victory at the Olympics.
The 21-year-old from Kazakhstan returned home after winning a historic medal at the Olympics in Italy. The champion proudly wore his hard-earned gold medal, which he won in competition against the world’s top figure skaters.
An hour before Shaidorov’s arrival at the terminal, hundreds of people gathered at the airport. They watched the best moments from his Olympic performance on a large screen.
The hall was filled with people holding posters, and even a person in a panda costume could be seen – the same type of costume Shaidorov wore during his exhibition performances in Italy after being crowned Olympic champion.
Photo © Tengrinews.kz / Marzhan Kuandykova
When the figure skater emerged to meet the crowd, he let out a deep breath into the microphone and said, “Finally, I’m home.”
Photo © Tengrinews.kz / Marzhan Kuandykova
Along with Shaidorov, the ceremony was attended by the head of the National Olympic Committee, Gennady Golovkin, Minister of Tourism and Sports, Yerbol Myrzabosynov, President of the Kazakhstan Skating Union, Bauyrzhan Eraly, as well as national team coach Asem Kasanova and figure skater Sofya Samodelkina.
Photo © Tengrinews.kz / Marzhan Kuandykova
“Guys, I want you to understand what it means to come home with an Olympic gold medal. Today, we have heroes. I want to thank, first and foremost, the coaches and families who raised these wonderful champions. These are the people who have always been by their side. I also want to thank those who support sports in the ministry, the federation, and the National Olympic Committee. This support is part of the policy promoted by our Head of State, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. I want to say that we, as Kazakhstan, have earned this. Guys, we have gold in figure skating. Be proud of this. These are our new heroes. Let’s support them,” Golovkin addressed the crowd.
In addition to the fan support, the coach and athletes were also awarded certificates for apartments during the ceremony.
For the record, Mikhail Shaidorov's gold medal at the 2026 Olympics was Kazakhstan’s first gold medal at the Winter Games since 1994. The last Kazakh athlete to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics was skier Vladimir Smirnov.
