Roman Sadovsky is embracing the fight.
The reigning national men’s champion didn’t flinch when Keegan Messing announced his return to figure skating, and he’s welcoming Stephen Gogolev’s resurgence with the same composure.
A battle is brewing for Canada’s lone men’s spot at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics — and Sadovsky wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I’m doing this because I like the thrill of competition,” he said. “The more competition, the better, honestly. And if it weren’t for competition, I wouldn’t be doing it, straight up, so I welcome it — and definitely every bit of competition is more motivation.”
Sadovsky will be among the 18 Canadian athletes across all events competing this weekend at Skate Canada International in Saskatoon, the third stop on the Grand Prix circuit.
The 26-year-old from Vaughan, Ont., won his second national title last January in Laval, Que., and appeared to be the early favourite for Canada’s Olympic spot until Messing, a two-time Olympian, revealed his comeback in August.
Messing’s top scores surpass those of any Canadian man since he stepped away from the sport in 2023. The 33-year-old would become the country’s top contender if he returns to his old form, though that remains to be seen.
While the news of his return surprised many, Sadovsky saw it coming.
“It’s such a small world and you hear things down the grapevine. I’ve been hearing it since like last season, so it came as no shock,” he said. “I was totally prepared and expected it, but it doesn’t really change my focus and what my goals are and how I’m gonna train.
“He just definitely added some fuel to the fire.”
Tracey Wainman, Sadovsky’s longtime coach out of the York Region Skating Centre in Richmond Hill, Ont., says the six-foot skater has learned to expect the unexpected.
Sadovsky has faced his share of curveballs: he filled in for the team event at the 2022 Olympics after Messing’s positive COVID-19 test delayed his arrival in Beijing. In 2023-24, he missed consecutive competitions — first because he lost his luggage, including his skates, and then because his plane couldn’t land due to a snowstorm.
“We flew across the world and never even made it to our competition ΓǪ It’s something always in skating, there’s things that you will never be able to predict,” Wainman said. “(Messing’s return) is a huge thing, and for more so the public. For us, it doesn’t change anything. It’s not something that is in our control.
“We said, ‘You know what? Good, whatever.’ We moved on. There just wasn’t any lull in training. We just kept our eye on what our mission is this year.”
Messing showing improvement
Messing — who showed room for improvement in a season-opening domestic event outside Dallas earlier this month — won’t be competing at Skate Canada International. His next event is the Ice Challenge, Nov. 5-9, in Graz, Austria.
Sadovsky will go head-to-head with Gogolev for a third time this season in Saskatoon.
Sadovsky captured gold at the Cranberry Cup in Norwood, Mass., in August, while Gogolev took bronze. At the Nebelhorn Trophy in September, Gogolev, 20, placed first, and Sadovsky finished fifth.
It’s an encouraging start to the Olympic season for Sadovsky after a strong second half in 2024-25, including the Canadian title. He and Wainman both credit his mental maturity for the improvements. Earlier in his career, mistakes could derail his programs.
“Sometimes in the past, if I missed, let’s say the opening quad (jump), it’d be challenging for me to refocus,” he said. “I’ve had an easier time just refocusing, getting back into the program ΓǪ and not letting a mistake be a big deal. One mistake really doesn’t need to have any correlation to the other, right?”
Sadovsky says he’s simply enjoying his skating and “soaking in every moment” as he chases another trip to the Olympics.
While most careers are just getting started at 26 years old, he knows he’s no youngster in the youth-driven sport of figure skating and acknowledges this season could be his last — though that decision will be made at a later date.
“I’d have to definitely make a self-reflection after this season and decide where I want my skating to go, where I want my life to go,” he said. “I’m doing very well. I feel like I’m honestly at sort of my peak in terms of mental maturity, consistency, and even technical ability. I’m feeling really strong on the ice, off the ice.
“I don’t know, maybe I would have to take it year by year afterwards and see how my body reacts, because I don’t know what happens once the 27s, the 28s and 29s come in. But yeah, I’m definitely enjoying the most that I can out of this season.”
And the added competition is only adding to that enjoyment.
“It’s honestly really, really good,” he said. “It would have been really boring if there was no competition.”
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