Shaidorov shines to become the first Four Continents champion from Kazakhstan in 10 years

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Mikhail Shaidorov produced a season-best score in the free skate on Saturday to become the first skater from Kazakhstan to win the Four Continents title since Denis Ten in 2015.

Skating at the same venue where Ten won, Shaidorov held a 12-point lead after the short program and was equally impressive in the free skate, landing four quadruple jumps and three triples 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.

The 20-year-old Shaidorov, who took part in lessons Ten held in Kazakhstan, earned his first International Skating Union title and first medal at the Four Continents.

“This gold medal means a lot to me,” Shaidorov said. “Ten years ago it was Denis Ten who won the first Four Continents gold medal for Kazakhstan here in Seoul and now I was able to return this medal to our country.”

Performing to “Moonlight Sonata” and “Take On Me,” 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 toeloop before adding another quad toe-triple toe combination later in his routine.

When he routine was over, Shaidorov collapsed to the ice in happiness.

“The emotions are overwhelming,” Shaidorov said. “It is very meaningful also for Kazakhstan and it is in memory of Denis.”

Ten was stabbed to death during a carjacking in Almaty in July 2018.

Cha was fourth after the short program and turned in a spectacular free skate with a season’s best score of 185.78 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.

“Five years ago, when we had the Four Continents here in Korea, I really wanted to get a medal but I came fifth,” Cha said. “And this time I achieved that goal, so I’m really happy.”

Ma, who was second after the short program, hit two quad toes but fell on a triple loop early in his routine and touched down on triple axel.

“Obviously it’s an incredible honor to be able to get this medal this year, at this time,” Ma said. “But my goal for this Championship was just to put out two performances that I’d be incredibly proud of.”

In the ice dance final, defending champions Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada held on their slim one-point lead from the rhythm dance to claim their second consecutive title in the event.

Gilles and Poirier finished second to Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates in Saturday’s free dance but their lead from the rhythm dance was good enough to allow them to finish first overall with 218.46 points.

Two-time and reigning world champions Chock and Bates were second with 217.93 points while Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, also of Canada, took the bronze with 201.04 points.

AP Sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, centre, silver medalist Cha Jun-hwan of South Korea, left, and bronze medalist Jimmy Ma of the United States pose during the medal ceremony for the men's free skating in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan poses during the medal ceremony for the men's free skating in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Aleksa Rakic of Canada, performs during the men's free skating in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Aleksa Rakic of Canada, performs during the men's free skating in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Dias Jirenbayev of Kazakhstan, performs during the men's free skating in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Douglas Gerber of Australia, performs during the men's free skating in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Douglas Gerber of Australia, performs during the men's free skating in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Chiu Hei Cheung of Hong Kong performs during the men's free skating in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Darian Kaptich of Australia, performs during the men's free skating in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Douglas Gerber of Australia, performs during the men's free skating in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Yu-Hsiang Li of Taiwan, performs during the men's free skating in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, center, gestures after competing in the men's free skating in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, centre, silver medalist Cha Jun-hwan of South Korea, left, and bronze medalist Jimmy Ma of the United States pose with their medals during the victory ceremony for the men's free skating in the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 12, 2026--

Today, a leading global wedding technology platform The Knot Worldwide (TKWW), announced the appointment of Michael Pickrum as Chief Financial Officer. With more than 25 years of experience in strategic finance, operations, and business development within the media and technology industries, Pickrum will oversee TKWW’s global finance organization. Pickrum joins TKWW at an exciting moment as the company celebrates its 30-year anniversary and continues to grow and scale with a focus on product innovation.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260112910392/en/

Pickrum joins TKWW from Maximum Effort, the media, marketing, and investment company co-founded by Ryan Reynolds, where he served as Chief Financial Officer. Before this, he held the roles of COO and CFO at ExecOnline, Inc., a B2B online leadership development company. Pickrum spent over 17 years at BET/Viacom, where he served as EVP and CFO starting in 2007. Prior to that, he was COO of BET Interactive. He earned his master's and bachelor's degrees in engineering from Stanford University and his MBA from The Wharton School.

“I am thrilled to be joining TKWW at such an important time in the company’s journey,” said Michael Pickrum, CFO, TKWW. “There is incredible power in celebrations and I am looking forward to working with the exceptional team at TKWW to further enable our millions of couples and 900,000 small business owners around the world to celebrate life’s most meaningful moments.”

“Michael is a world-class financial and operations leader with an impressive track record of driving strategic growth and operational excellence across media and technology companies,” said Raina Moskowitz, CEO, TKWW. “As we continue to grow and scale with a focus on product innovation, Michael’s deep expertise in strategic planning, analysis, and capital allocation will be critical to our ongoing success. We are thrilled to have him join our team and help guide TKWW through our next phase of growth.”

Pickrum is based in New York, NY and reports to TKWW Chief Executive Officer Raina Moskowitz.

About The Knot Worldwide
Across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, The Knot Worldwide champions the power of celebration. The company’s global family of brands provides best-in-class products, services, and content to take celebration planning from inspiration to action. Through its wedding brands, including The Knot, WeddingWire, Bodas.net, Hitched.co.uk, Mariages.net, Matrimonio.com, and others, the company offers an extensive database of hundreds of thousands of wedding professionals to assist couples in organizing the happiest day of their lives. We have a brand for every kind of celebration—from booking a birthday party, to planning a wedding, to preparing to become a parent, and every moment in between.

Michael Pickrum, courtesy of The Knot Worldwide