Stephen Gogolev rarely shows his emotions.
He couldn’t help but pump his fists and crack a smile Friday night.
The 21-year-old from Toronto jumped into the driver’s seat at the Canadian figure skating championships – and the race for Canada’s Olympic men’s singles spot – by taking a substantial lead after the short program.
“I've been the most relaxed I've ever been on ice,” said the typically reserved Gogolev. “It felt almost like a practice, and obviously the crowd was very welcoming, and I think that was a big help as well.”
Skating to “Mugzy's Move” medley, Gogolev landed two quad jumps and a triple axel in a clean routine to score 99.60 points before a sold-out crowd at Centre Slush Puppie.
Vancouver’s Wesley Chiu sat second with 89.14 and Aleksa Rakic of New Westminster, B.C., was third with 83.60.
Once a prodigy who became the youngest skater to land a series of quad jumps, Gogolev’s career took a hit after a major growth spurt triggered back problems.
Friday marked his return to the Canadian championships for the first time since 2023, the latest stop in a bounce-back season that has seen him post personal bests across the board.
Now he’s one step closer to his first Olympic berth – not that he’s getting ahead of himself with the free program on deck Saturday.
“Nothing’s finished until the free program is over,” he said. “There has been a little bit of pressure going into this competition and I'm glad I was able to deal with that in the short program.”
Reigning national champion Roman Sadovsky, a co-favourite with Gogolev heading into the event, fell to fourth (81.79) after turning out of a triple axel and touching his hands to the ice during a combination.
Sadovsky – the last skater, following Gogolev – said he felt a “fair bit” of pressure heading into the evening and heard his opponent’s high score over the arena’s speakers before his skate.
“I really had to put out the best I could possibly do,” he said. "Not how I wanted (things to go), obviously. Rough around the edges, probably one of my weaker shorts this season.
"Just biting myself a little bit that I let go of some relatively easy points."
In an unusual scheduling quirk, Gogolev and Sadovsky are facing off at the same competition for the fifth time this season, with each skater having won two of their prior meetings.
They’ve been locked in a season-long battle for Canada’s only men’s singles entry at next month’s Milan Cortina Olympics. The full Canadian team will be announced Sunday.
Skate Canada’s Olympic selection is not determined solely by results at nationals. The qualifying criteria take into account a skater’s body of work over the past couple seasons.
“Refocusing, not overthinking about some of the mistakes today,” Sadovsky said of getting back in the hunt. “And just trusting the training. I think that was maybe something that didn’t happen today, and hopefully I can pull it off tomorrow.”
Keegan Messing, a two-time Olympian, placed seventh with a shaky program in his first Canadian championships since 2023.
The 33-year-old from Girdwood, Alaska – who surprisingly came out of retirement last summer to challenge for the Olympic spot – received a standing ovation from the Gatineau crowd.
“The love of the sport is back,” he said. “And the freedom to go out and to express yourself freely like that … it was just fun again. Thank you for welcoming back like that, it was well worth it.”
Messing, skating in his fourth event this season, said he underestimated how difficult a return to competition ice would be at his age.
“I stayed on my feet, but it was a little messy,” he said. “In a sport that is growing faster than you can blink, you’ve got to stay with it or else you get left behind.
“As much as I wanted the points to reflect how I felt, that’s not why I came back. I came back for the feeling in my heart and how they received me and I feel like I really got that tonight.”
The pairs short program was scheduled for later Friday evening. Competition continues with a full slate Saturday, beginning with the rhythm dance.
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