At the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, the men's singles figure skating event concluded dramatically as both leading competitors, Ilia Malinin and Yuma Kagiyama, stumbled in their routines, allowing Kazakhstan's Mihhail Šaidorov to seize gold unexpectedly. Malinin, who was a strong favorite, failed to land key jumps and finished with a disappointing score, while Kagiyama also made mistakes in his free skate performance, which ultimately cost him a chance at the medal podium.

Yuma Kagiyama had initially been in a strong position after finishing second in the short program but fell short in the free skate with a score of 176.99 points, placing him sixth overall. Ilia Malinin, previously viewed as a sure contender for gold, had a disastrous outing where he began his routine with a single jump rather than the quadruple Axel he intended to execute, leading to numerous errors throughout the performance and an overall score of 264.49 points, relegating him to eighth place. This unexpected turn of events created a significant shift in the anticipated outcomes of the competition.

In stark contrast, Mihhail Šaidorov, who had been ranked fifth after the short program, took full advantage of his rivals' misfortunes and delivered a solid performance that earned him the championship title. His triumph not only highlights the unpredictability of competitive sports but also marks a landmark moment for Kazakhstan in the context of elite figure skating on an Olympic stage.