Kazakhstan Finishes Top-20 at Milan-Cortina 2026 After Historic Gold Medal

The official closing ceremony of the XXV Winter Olympic Games took place at the 'Olympic Arena' in Verona, Italy.

The historic amphitheater 'Arena di Verona', a symbol of Italy's rich cultural heritage, was chosen to host the celebratory evening. This same venue will host the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympic Games in March.

The festive program united music, art, and sport, highlighting the unity of athletes and peoples from different nations.

Following the parade of participants, the Olympic flag was lowered and handed over to the next host. The 2030 Winter Games will be held in the French Alps. This will mark France's fourth time hosting a Winter Olympics, having previously done so in 1924, 1968, and 1992.

At the conclusion of competition in Milan-Cortina, Team Kazakhstan finished 19th in the overall medal standings after winning one gold medal. This is Kazakhstan's best result since 1994 when it placed 12th at the Lillehammer Games. The country's sole gold was won by figure skater Mikhail Shaidorov, who became Kazakhstan's first-ever Olympic champion in figure skating.

Previously, Kazakhstan had only won a bronze medal in this sport. At the 2014 Winter Olympics, Denis Ten finished third.

In speed skating, Nadezhda Morozova finished sixth in the 3000 meters and tenth in the 5000 meters—the best results for a Kazakh speed skater since 1998. Elizaveta Golubeva placed seventh in the 1500 meters and also finished within the top ten in the 3000 meters. The women's team also reached the top eight nations in team pursuit events.

In ski jumping, 19-year-old Ilya Mizernykh placed eighth on the large hill—the best-ever Olympic result for Kazakhstan in this discipline.

In short track speed skating, Denis Nikisha improved on his previous Olympic performance by finishing seventh over 500 meters. In freestyle moguls skiing, two Kazakh athletes made it into the top ten: Anastasia Gorodko placed eighth and Pavel Kolmakov ninth—both improving on their results from the 2022 Games. In speed skating again, Yevgeniy Koshkin finished ninth over 500 meters. The mixed aerials team event saw Kazakhstan finish seventh.

In figure skating, first-time Olympian Sofya Samodelkina (19) placed tenth—the best-ever result for Kazakhstan in women's singles at an Olympic Games.

A total of thirty-six athletes—eighteen men and eighteen women—represented Kazakhstan across ten different disciplines.

The Games featured approximately three thousand athletes from ninety-three nations competing for one hundred sixteen sets of medals across sixteen sports until February twenty-second.