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.



Bayern Munich's Hiroki Itō Suffers Recurrence of Foot Injury

Bayern Munich's Japanese defender #21 Hiroki Ito plays the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and St Pauli in Munich, southern Germany on March 29, 2025. (Photo by Alexandra BEIER / AFP)
Bayern Munich's Japanese defender #21 Hiroki Ito plays the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and St Pauli in Munich, southern Germany on March 29, 2025. (Photo by Alexandra BEIER / AFP)
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Bayern Munich's Hiroki Itō Suffers Recurrence of Foot Injury

Bayern Munich's Japanese defender #21 Hiroki Ito plays the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and St Pauli in Munich, southern Germany on March 29, 2025. (Photo by Alexandra BEIER / AFP)
Bayern Munich's Japanese defender #21 Hiroki Ito plays the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and St Pauli in Munich, southern Germany on March 29, 2025. (Photo by Alexandra BEIER / AFP)

Bayern Munich defender Hiroki Itō is out indefinitely with another serious foot injury, adding to the team’s defensive woes ahead of its Champions League quarterfinal against Inter Milan.
The Bavarian powerhouse said Sunday that Itō suffered a recurrence of a fracture in his right metatarsal during Bayern’s 3-2 win over St. Pauli in the Bundesliga on Saturday, The Associated Press reported. Itō had gone on as a substitute and was unable to finish the game, leaving Bayern, which had used all of its substitutes, a player short for the final minutes.
Itō, who joined Bayern from league rival Stuttgart before the season, first suffered the injury in a pre-season warmup game against Düren. There was a setback during his comeback in November, necessitating another operation. The Japan defender finally made his comeback in February, playing in six Bundesliga games and two Champions League matches.
“He’s only just battled back after months of rehab and will now be out for a long time again – we can barely imagine how he’s feeling,” board member for sport Max Eberl said. “He’ll get all the support he needs from us.”
Last week, Bayern had defenders Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano ruled out with knee injuries sustained on international duty.
“We’ve now lost a third defender in a short space of time,” Eberl said. “We will now pool our forces even more to continue pursuing our goals.”
Bayern, which leads the Bundesliga by six points with seven rounds remaining, hosts Inter for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on April 8, with the second leg in Milan on April 16.