Going into the men’s free skate as the favorite, Ilia Malinin was ready for that individual Olympic gold. However, it was Mikhail Shaidorov, who delivered the performance of his life, as the 22-year-old Kazakhstani pleased the crowd with five clean quadruple jumps that eventually resulted in his first Olympic title. However, days after the Winter Games, he opened up about the financial reality that lurks beneath the spotlight.

When Shaidorov was asked directly by Tengri News about his salary and whether it represents disposable income for a young athlete suddenly thrust into the global spotlight, his answer was shocking.

“Many expenses in figure skating aren’t covered. The state won’t fund them. Sometimes you need to travel urgently to work with specialists not on the national team. If it’s not a competition or official training camp, I pay for accommodation and daily expenses myself,” the 22-year-old shared.

“I train year-round, with no free time. The money everyone’s talking about lately – we never counted it.”

His words carried the weight of someone who has spent a lifetime navigating a system that supports its athletes just enough to reach the starting line. Shaidorov’s words directly point to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Sports releasing detailed figures of his preparation costs.

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Recently, they disclosed that 263.4 million tenge, which is approximately $528,367, had been spent on Shaidorov’s training over the Olympic cycle, covering 19 training camps, scientific support, and his coaching team. However, for Shaidorov, those numbers tell only part of the story.

“My family doesn’t keep track of expenses for my preparation. I’ve been on the ice since I was six and have come a long way to my first major successes. It’s not about the amount of funding. You can’t prepare an athlete for an Olympic medal in a short time. For 15 years, my parents and sponsors invested in me, and no one counts that. These were necessary expenses for that period, directly related to preparing an athlete,” the Olympic gold medalist added.

While the ministry seems transparent about the money allocated to the figure skater to train for the major event, Ilia Malinin’s rival focuses on the bigger picture. It wasn’t ever about a single medal, but his entire journey, which has made him the athlete he is currently.

However, on the competition level, following the men’s figure skating event, no animosity was seen between the two figure skaters.

Nothing but sportsmanship between Ilia Malinin and Mikhail Shaidorov

The world watched Ilia Malinin’s dream completely shatter in Milan when he placed eighth in the men’s figure skating final.

“They would have sent me to Beijing four years ago, then I wouldn’t have skated like that. It’s done,” his words echoed through the broadcast as he rushed towards his coaches.

At the same time, the American was seen telling Mikhail Shaidorov, “You deserve it,” following his own disaster.

Talking about the post-event gesture, Malinin confirmed that his rivalry with the Kazakhstani only stays on the ice.

“That exchange with Mikhail was, you know, just natural. For me, that’s how I am always. People that are outside of skating don’t really think that we’re close. They think we’re just rivals or have something between us, but that’s not really true.”

He added, “We have a competitive rivalry between all of us, and it’s the reason why we like to push each other to go further and further in the sport, really bringing the level of sport and sportsmanship. And really just showing that we’re also human beings. So it’s really nice to congratulate your friends when they have an amazing skate.”

And Shaidorov, too, echoed similar sentiments: “Ilia is a great athlete, but above all, he is a wonderful person.”

Ilia Malinin’s sportsmanship was on full display, as even during the medal ceremony, when Shaidorov received the gold medal, the American was seen cheering for his rival with nothing but joy.