Kazakhstani figure skater Mikhail Shaidorov congratulated American Ilia Malinin on receiving the Fair Play Award and shared a photo of the two. Kursiv LifeStyle looks at the gesture that earned the Olympic champion’s competitor the recognition.
Shaidorov shared a photo of Malinin hugging him on Instagram Stories after the American’s disappointing Olympic skate in Milan.
«Congratulations to Ilia Malinin on winning the Fair Play Award! So proud of you, my friend. I’m incredibly grateful to share this journey with you, and I’ll always be cheering you on and celebrating success along the way,» Shaidorov wrote over the photo.
At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Malinin was considered the favorite in the men’s figure skating event. However, after a difficult skate, he fell from first place to eighth. Shaidorov took gold.
Despite his disappointment, Malinin went straight over to congratulate the winner. Later, upon receiving the Fair Play Award, he explained that he wanted to support his fellow competitor.
«I was looking back at the performance [in the Olympic men’s free skate], and it was probably one of the hardest moments of my life. But I also had to move on from it and really embrace the friend in me. I had to appreciate what my fellow competitor and friend had done,» U.S. Figure Skating cited Malinin as saying.