As the 2026 Winter Olympics came to a close, the men’s figure skating competition delivered dramatic performances and unexpected outcomes.

The United States led the qualifying round, but Kazakhstan captured the gold medal in the finals. Japan finished with multiple podium finishes, helping secure the most overall medals in the event.

Twenty-one-year-old Ilia Malinin of the United States delivered a near-perfect performance in the qualifying round to claim first place. However, he struggled in the finals, falling several times and finishing 15th.

“Oh my goodness,” former Olympic figure skater Tara Lipinski said after Malinin missed his final jump.

Mikhail Shaidorov, 21, of Kazakhstan delivered a standout performance in the finals, skating to music by Hans Zimmer from the film “Dune” while dressed as Paul Atreides. His performance earned him the gold medal, securing Kazakhstan’s top finish and tying the country with France for one gold medal overall.

Japan’s consistency across both rounds helped the team secure the most medals in the event. Yuma Kagiyama, 22, finished second in both the qualifying round and the finals, while teammate Shun Sato, also 22, placed third in the finals.

Maxim Naumov, 24, of the United States competed in honor of his parents, who died in a plane crash 13 months ago that also killed several young skaters. He finished 22nd in the finals.

“What we have dreamed of since the very beginning, I was able to make that a reality,” Naumov said. “And I didn’t just do that for myself, I did that for them as well.”

In the final medal standings, Norway led all countries with 41 medals, followed by the United States with 33. The Netherlands finished third with 20.