Five things to know as Canada’s figure skaters vie for Olympic spots at nationals

By Canadian Press on January 7, 2026.

GATINEAU — Olympic spots are on the line this week at the 2026 Canadian National Skating Championships.

Senior competition runs Friday through Sunday at Centre Slush Puppie, where the country’s top figure skaters will look to book their tickets to next month’s Milan Cortina Winter Games. Unlike some years, the makeup of Canada’s team is far from set in stone.

Here’s a look at five things to know heading into the event:

SELECTION CRITERIA

Canada holds seven figure skating entries for the upcoming Olympics: three in ice dance, two in pairs, one in men’s singles and one in women’s singles. The full team will be announced Sunday evening after competition concludes.

Selection, however, is not determined solely by results at the national championships. Skate Canada’s Olympic qualifying criteria takes into account a skater’s body of work over the past couple seasons.

The governing body and its High Performance Development Committee can exercise discretion, weighing more than placements at nationals – including performances at world championships and other major events, and international scores this season.

Nationals may not be the be-all and end-all, but Olympic spots will still be determined this week, especially in the men’s and women’s singles events.

HEAD-TO-HEAD, AGAIN

It’s shaping up as a showdown between Stephen Gogolev and Roman Sadovsky for Canada’s lone men’s spot. The two skaters will go head-to-head for a fifth time this season, with each outperforming the other twice – though Gogolev holds the higher international scores.

Gogolev, a 21-year-old from Toronto once billed as Canada’s next big thing, is having a resurgent season after injuries and a dramatic growth spurt stalled his career. Sadovsky, 26, is the reigning national champion, a 2022 Olympian and a three-time competitor at the world championships.

Beijing Olympian Keegan Messing, 33, shook up the scene by surprisingly coming out of retirement last summer, but he has yet to resemble the skater who won back-to-back national championships in 2022 and 2023.

Wesley Chiu, the 2024 Canadian champion, also returns to the national stage after missing most of last season with a serious ankle injury.

RETURNING CHALLENGER?

Madeline Schizas has been Canada’s strongest women’s singles skater over the past few seasons, winning three national titles in four years. She has also represented Canada at the past five world championships, finishing 11th last year – one place shy of landing the country a second entry for Milan.

The 22-year-old from Oakville, Ont., is the women’s favourite, but could face a tougher path. Gabrielle Daleman, a two-time Olympian, is back at the championships for the first time since 2022 after battling injuries and will be trying to punch her ticket to a third Olympics. The 20-year-old Sara-Maude Dupuis, the first Canadian woman to land a triple axel in competition, is also in the hunt.

It should be noted: Canada’s odds of medalling in singles at the Olympics are close to none, but solid showings in the team event could help the country contend for bronze.

ALL SETTLED?

The pairs competition arguably draws the least suspense. It would be a major surprise if Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps – the 2024 world champions – and Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud aren’t named to Canada’s Olympic team.

Joined by the 34-year-old Deschamps, Stellato-Dudek is set to make her Olympic debut at 42. The pair captured world gold in Montreal two years ago, making Stellato-Dudek the oldest woman to win a world title, but haven’t reached those heights since. They finished last among six teams at December’s Grand Prix Final – a midseason measuring stick for the best athletes in each discipline – but are expected to secure a fourth straight national title.

Pereira and Michaud nearly upset Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps at last year’s nationals and have finished no lower than 11th in the past three world championships.

DANCE DOMINANCE

Decorated ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier go for their fifth national title in what will likely be their last Canadian championships in Gatineau. Skating in their 15th season as a duo, Gilles and Poirier will both be 34 in Milan. They’ve reached the world championship podium three straight years, winning silver in each of the past two, and are aiming for their first Olympic medal in their third Games.

Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha have established themselves as a top-10 ice dance team and should secure another Olympic spot, leaving Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer to battle Romain Le Gac and Marie-Jade Lauriault for Canada’s third entry.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2026.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press

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