It’s been a monumental two weeks at the Winter Olympic Games for Kazakhstan figure skater Mikhail Shaidorov.
The 21-year-old landed in Milan, Italy, as a dark horse to contend for a podium spot. This wasn’t supposed to be his Games, though. Pundits said the youngster still needed seasoning and that, by 2030 in the French Alps, he would be the main rival to reigning world champion Ilia Malinin.
Well, Shaidorov arrived ahead of schedule.
Shaidorov won a shocking gold medal after the three podium favorites fell during his clean routine, becoming the second-ever Winter Olympic gold medalist for his country.
On Saturday, he got to make another viral moment on the ice during figure skating, with a goodbye to the Olympics at the traditional gala event.
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The Olympic Exhibition Gala is where the most prominent performers from the two weeks of competition take the stage to put on special, fun routines for fans before heading home after Sunday’s closing ceremonies.
Whereas other skaters were doing backflips or partying to their favorite dance songs, Shaidorov showed up in a panda costume to go full Kung-Fu Panda for the crowd in Milan.
The generally shy Shaidorov charmed the crowd with his comedic timing and even performed a triple loop jump in the bulky costume.
After he was done, the men’s gold medalist was greeted rinkside by the legendary actor Jackie Chan, who presented Shaidorov with a stuffed panda.
What was supposed to be a training montage for Shaidorov heading into the Olympics four years from now turned into a championship documentary that he or the fans who watched will never forget.
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