Shaidorov finishes fifth at Cup of China, says he is still regaining form

Kazakhstani figure skater Mikhail Shaidorov finished fifth at the Cup of China in Shenzhen, the third event of the 2026-27 ISU Grand Prix series. The Olympic champion scored 263.49 points across the short program and free skate.

Shaidorov also ranked fifth after the short program, scoring 94.87 points. He earned 168.62 points in the free skate, recording the sixth-highest score among the 12 competitors.

Japan’s Kao Miura won the event with 293.25 points. Vladislav Dikidzhi, competing as an individual neutral athlete, finished second with 282.44 points, while his compatriot Evgeni Semenenko took third place with 281.62 points. Japan’s Shun Sato finished fourth with 277.20 points.

After the competition, Shaidorov said he was eager to improve on his disappointing performance at the first Grand Prix event in France.

«I‘m very nervous today, but I’m really happy to competed here.After the Grand Prix France, it was so bad. I really want to be better and fight against myself, I think today I did it,» Golden Skate cited Shaidorov as saying.

He added that he was still working to regain his competitive form.

«I think I’ve been improving every year, and I hope to do even better next year. It was difficult and I still haven’t fully recovered, but I think things will get better as the season goes on,» Shaidorov said.

The skater also spoke about his influence on young figure skaters following his victory at the 2026 Olympics, saying he was happy to inspire and support young athletes in Kazakhstan.

Context

The third event of the 2026-27 ISU Grand Prix series took place in Shenzhen, China, from Nov. 6 to 8. Six events are scheduled in total. The 2026-27 ISU Grand Prix Final will take place in Chongqing, China, from Dec. 10 to 13.