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Shaidorov Shines to Become the First Four Continents Champion from Kazakhstanin 10 Years

Gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov (C) of Kazakhstan, silver medalist Cha Jun-hwan (L) of South Korea and bronze medalist Jimmy Ma of the USA pose during the medal ceremony of the men's single competition at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Seoul, South Korea, 22 February 2025. (EPA)
Gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov (C) of Kazakhstan, silver medalist Cha Jun-hwan (L) of South Korea and bronze medalist Jimmy Ma of the USA pose during the medal ceremony of the men's single competition at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Seoul, South Korea, 22 February 2025. (EPA)
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Shaidorov Shines to Become the First Four Continents Champion from Kazakhstanin 10 Years

Gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov (C) of Kazakhstan, silver medalist Cha Jun-hwan (L) of South Korea and bronze medalist Jimmy Ma of the USA pose during the medal ceremony of the men's single competition at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Seoul, South Korea, 22 February 2025. (EPA)
Gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov (C) of Kazakhstan, silver medalist Cha Jun-hwan (L) of South Korea and bronze medalist Jimmy Ma of the USA pose during the medal ceremony of the men's single competition at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Seoul, South Korea, 22 February 2025. (EPA)

Mikhail Shaidorov won the free skate with a season-best score on Saturday to become the first skater from Kazakhstan to win the Four Continents title since Denis Ten in 2015.

Shaidorov held a 12-point lead after the short program and was equally impressive in the free skate, landing four quadruple jumps for 190.37 points for an overall total of 285.10.

Cha Jun-hwan of South Korea was second with 265.02 points followed by Jimmy Ma of the United States with 245.01.

Shaidorov opened with a superb triple axel, single Euler and quad salchow combination that set the tone for his routine. He followed with a quad lutz and a quad toe loop before adding another quad toe-triple toe combination later in his routine.

Cha was fourth after the short program and turned in a spectacular free skate to grab the silver medal before the home fans.

The South Korean skater started his routine with a quadruple salchow. His next element was supposed to be a quad toeloop but he could only manage a double, but that was the only major mistake for the 2022 Four Continents champion.

Ma, who was second after the short program, fell on a triple loop early in his routine and touched down on triple axel but was otherwise solid and finished with the bronze medal.

The ice dance free dance was later Saturday. The competition finishes Sunday with the women’s free skate.

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Fire at Winter Resort Hotel in Türkiye Kills Olympic Skier and his Father

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya, located in Bolu province, in northwest Türkiye, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Enes Ozkan/IHA via AP)
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya, located in Bolu province, in northwest Türkiye, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Enes Ozkan/IHA via AP)
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Fire at Winter Resort Hotel in Türkiye Kills Olympic Skier and his Father

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya, located in Bolu province, in northwest Türkiye, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Enes Ozkan/IHA via AP)
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya, located in Bolu province, in northwest Türkiye, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Enes Ozkan/IHA via AP)

A fire at a closed ski resort hotel in northwest Türkiye killed an Olympic skier and his father Thursday, two months after a blaze at another Turkish winter resort left 79 dead.
The victims were named as Yahya Usta, president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers Association, and his 25-year-old son Berkin, a skier who represented Türkiye at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Yahya Usta, his son and wife were staying on the hotel's fifth floor.
The Kervansaray Hotel in Uludag, Bursa province, was empty of guests when the fire started at 5:30 a.m. but 12 staff were present, Bursa governor’s office said. Several people suffering smoke inhalation were hospitalized.
The 30-year-old hotel was shut down in early January when its accommodation permit was cancelled, the governor's office added, according to The Associated Press.
TV images showed flames quickly engulfing the six-story hotel, located on the slopes of one of Türkiye’s most popular ski destinations, less than a three-hour drive from Istanbul.
Fire crews brought the blaze under control within two hours but not before the upper floors had been gutted.
Bursa Mayor Mustafa Bozbey said the fire began in the cafeteria.
“I learned with deep sorrow that our national athlete Berkin Usta and his father Yahya Usta lost their lives in the fire that broke out in the hotel in Uludag.” Sports Minister Osman Askin Bak said.
Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the Bursa fire.
In January a 12-story ski resort hotel in northwestern Türkiye went up in flames during a school holiday, killing 79.
That fire, at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, in Bolu province’s Koroglu mountains, also started in the hotel's dining area.
The state-run Anadolu news agency on Wednesday reported fresh arrests relating to the Bolu fire, taking the number of people in detention awaiting trial to 28.