Shaidorov (KAZ) soars to emotional first ISU Four Continents title in Seoul
Mikhail Shaidorov (KAZ) clinched an emotional gold medal in a thrilling Men’s event at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2025 in Seoul (KOR) Saturday. Shaidorov’s victory came exactly 10 years after the late Denis Ten won Kazakhstan’s first ISU Championship title in this competition and at the same venue.
Mesmerizing Mikhail Shaidorov (KAZ) jumps to gold
Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov put out a mesmerizing performance to claim the gold, his first ISU Championship title and his first medal at the ISU Four Continents Championships. Junhwan Cha of the Republic of Korea staged a remarkable comeback to earn the silver medal while Jimmy Ma (USA) took the bronze, his first medal at any major international event.
A decade ago, the late Denis Ten made history by winning the ISU Four Continents title in Seoul. He inspired many young Skaters, including a youthful Mikhail who took part in lessons Ten held in Kazakhstan for the next generation. Now it was Shaidorov’s turn to continue the legacy, and Ten’s mother Oksana was there to witness it.
Shaidorov had to skate last and appeared somewhat nervous. He took his starting position and the music started but it wasn’t his piece. “Actually, this little issue was helpful. It was totally unexpected for me to be in first place after the Short Program and I felt a lot of pressure and this music problem took the pressure off. I just was able to let go and skate with my emotions,” the 20-year-old said.
That was exactly what he did. Performing to “Moonlight Sonata” and “Take On Me”, Shaidorov reeled off a triple Axel-Euler-quad Salchow combination, three more quads and four triples. The Kazakh gave it everything in his choreo sequence too and achieved a personal best of 190.37 points for the Free Skating and 285.10 points overall. At the end, Shaidorov collapsed on the ice in happiness.
“This gold medal means a lot to me,” Shaidorov said. “Ten years ago it was Denis Ten who won the first Four Continents gold medal for Kazakhstan here in Seoul and now I was able to return this medal to our country.
“The emotions are overwhelming. It is very meaningful also for Kazakhstan and it is in memory of Denis.
“This is a huge motivation for me to push the development of figure skating even further. I wanted to do this combination (triple Axel-Euler-quad Salchow) for a long time but in the last two competitions it didn’t work out and I am very pleased that I did it today.”
After becoming the first Skater to land a triple Axel-quad toeloop combination Shaidorov has added another first to his resume.
Cha’s performance was equally emotional. The hometown hero sat in fourth following an error in the Short Program and his practice was shaky.
However, the Asian Winter Games Champion composed himself when it counted. Cheered on by the enthusiastic crowd, the Korean star delivered a passionate Tango “Balada para un Loco” that featured a quad Salchow and seven triples including two triple Axels. The only glitch came when he doubled the planned quad toeloop.
The 2023 ISU World silver medalist picked up a season’s best of 185.78 points and racked up 265.02 points to pull up to second place.
“Five years ago, when we had the Four Continents here in Korea, I really wanted to get a medal but I came fifth. And this time I achieved that goal, so I’m really happy,” Cha said.
“During last season and until the middle of this season, I was really struggling with my injuries and had a hard time, but entering the second half of the season, starting with Nationals to the University Games and Asian Games, I showed more recovery than before. This medal gives me more motivation for the World Championship.”
The 29-year-old Ma claimed bronze for his first ISU Championship medal – and with it his first podium finish at a major event – with a strong performance to “Clair de Lune” with a modern twist, hitting two quad toes. He only missed a triple loop. Ma scored a season’s best (162.49 points) for the segment, just as he had with his Short Program here on Thursday, and also with his total, 245.01 points.
“Obviously it's an incredible honor to be able to get this medal this year, at this time,” Ma said. “But my goal for this Championship was just to put out two performances that I'd be incredibly proud of.
“The medal obviously is the sugar on top. The feeling is unreal. I don't know how to feel right now, but it's a good feeling. But aside from that, it gives me a lot of confidence moving forward, and I can't wait for what's to come.”
The Japanese men finished off the podium for the first time in nine years and occupied fourth to sixth places:
Kazuko Tomono slipped from third to fourth place at 242.08 points, followed by Tatsuya Tsuboi (234.93 points) and 2023 ISU Four Continents Champion Kao Miura (230.48).
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