Sadovsky welcomes challenge for Canada's Olympic men's figure skating spot

Daniel Rainbird · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Oct 28, 2025 3:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 28

Roman Sadovsky is embracing the fight.

The reigning nationalist men's champion didn't flinch erstwhile Keegan Messing announced his instrumentality to fig skating, and he's welcoming Stephen Gogolev's resurgence with the aforesaid composure.

A conflict is brewing for Canada's lone men's spot astatine the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics — and Sadovsky wouldn't privation it immoderate different way.

"I'm doing this due to the fact that I similar the thrill of competition," helium said. "The much competition, the better, honestly. And if it weren't for competition, I wouldn't beryllium doing it, consecutive up, truthful I invited it — and decidedly each spot of contention is much motivation."

Sadovsky volition beryllium among the 18 Canadian athletes crossed each events competing this play astatine Skate Canada International successful Saskatoon, the 3rd halt connected the Grand Prix circuit.

The 26-year-old from Vaughan, Ont., won his 2nd nationalist rubric past January successful Laval, Que., and appeared to beryllium the aboriginal favourite for Canada's Olympic spot until Messing, a two-time Olympian, revealed his comeback successful August.

Messing's apical scores surpass those of immoderate Canadian antheral since helium stepped distant from the athletics successful 2023. The 33-year-old would go the country's apical contender if helium returns to his aged form, though that remains to beryllium seen.

While the quality of his instrumentality amazed many, Sadovsky saw it coming.

"It's specified a tiny satellite and you perceive things down the grapevine. I've been proceeding it since similar past season, truthful it came arsenic nary shock," helium said. "I was wholly prepared and expected it, but it doesn't truly alteration my absorption and what my goals are and however I'm gonna train.

"He conscionable decidedly added immoderate substance to the fire."

Tracey Wainman, Sadovsky's longtime manager retired of the York Region Skating Centre successful Richmond Hill, Ont., says the six-foot skater has learned to expect the unexpected.

Sadovsky has faced his stock of curveballs: helium filled successful for the squad lawsuit astatine the 2022 Olympics aft Messing's affirmative COVID-19 trial delayed his accomplishment successful Beijing. In 2023-24, helium missed consecutive competitions — archetypal due to the fact that helium mislaid his luggage, including his skates, and past due to the fact that his level couldn't onshore owed to a snowstorm.

"We flew crossed the satellite and ne'er adjacent made it to our contention … It's thing ever successful skating, there's things that you volition ne'er beryllium capable to predict," Wainman said. "(Messing's return) is simply a immense thing, and for much truthful the public. For us, it doesn't alteration anything. It's not thing that is successful our control.

"We said, 'You cognize what? Good, whatever.' We moved on. There conscionable wasn't immoderate lull successful training. We conscionable kept our oculus connected what our ngo is this year."

Messing showing improvement

Messing — who showed country for betterment successful a season-opening home lawsuit extracurricular Dallas earlier this period — won't beryllium competing astatine Skate Canada International. His adjacent lawsuit is the Ice Challenge, Nov. 5-9, successful Graz, Austria.

Sadovsky volition spell head-to-head with Gogolev for a 3rd clip this play successful Saskatoon.

Sadovsky captured golden astatine the Cranberry Cup successful Norwood, Mass., successful August, portion Gogolev took bronze. At the Nebelhorn Trophy successful September, Gogolev, 20, placed first, and Sadovsky finished fifth.

It's an encouraging commencement to the Olympic play for Sadovsky aft a beardown 2nd fractional successful 2024-25, including the Canadian title. He and Wainman some recognition his intelligence maturity for the improvements. Earlier successful his career, mistakes could derail his programs.

"Sometimes successful the past, if I missed, let's accidental the opening quad (jump), it'd beryllium challenging for maine to refocus," helium said. "I've had an easier clip conscionable refocusing, getting backmost into the programme … and not letting a mistake beryllium a large deal. One mistake truly doesn't request to person immoderate correlation to the other, right?"

Sadovsky says he's simply enjoying his skating and "soaking successful each moment" arsenic helium chases different travel to the Olympics.

While astir careers are conscionable getting started astatine 26 years old, helium knows he's nary youngster successful the youth-driven athletics of fig skating and acknowledges this play could beryllium his past — though that determination volition beryllium made astatine a aboriginal date.

"I'd person to decidedly marque a self-reflection aft this play and determine wherever I privation my skating to go, wherever I privation my beingness to go," helium said. "I'm doing precise well. I consciousness similar I'm honestly astatine benignant of my highest successful presumption of intelligence maturity, consistency, and adjacent method ability. I'm feeling truly beardown connected the ice, disconnected the ice.

"I don't know, possibly I would person to instrumentality it twelvemonth by twelvemonth afterwards and spot however my assemblage reacts, due to the fact that I don't cognize what happens erstwhile the 27s, the 28s and 29s travel in. But yeah, I'm decidedly enjoying the astir that I tin retired of this season."

And the added contention is lone adding to that enjoyment.

"It's honestly really, truly good," helium said. "It would person been truly boring if determination was nary competition."