Stephen Gogolev clinched his first Grand Prix medal, but Roman Sadovsky put up a strong fight for Canada’s men’s figure skating spot at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Gogolev, hailing from Toronto, secured a third-place finish at the 2025 Finlandia Trophy in Helsinki, marking a successful season resurgence. Additionally, ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier added to Canada’s medal tally with a silver in ice dance and secured a spot in the upcoming Grand Prix Final.
Gogolev, aged 20, entered the men’s free skate in second position after a flawless short program. Despite finishing third in the free skate with a score of 164.26, he was only 0.22 points behind Adam Siao Him Fa of France, the European champion and world bronze medalist. Expressing his satisfaction with his performance, Gogolev mentioned the mental challenge of being in a podium position for the first time in a Grand Prix event but highlighted his focus on the present and giving his best.
On the other hand, Sadovsky, initially in sixth place after the short program, showcased a strong performance in the free skate to finish fourth overall with a total of 243.29 points, trailing Gogolev by 10.32 points for the final podium spot. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama claimed the top spot with 270.45 points, followed by Siao Him Fa (256.98) and Gogolev (253.61).
Gilles and Poirier maintained their second-place position from the rhythm dance and delivered a captivating free dance performance to “Vincent” by Govardo, earning 122.55 points and a total score of 202.11. The duo expressed pride in their performance, emphasizing their determination to deliver a strong program after falling short of expectations at the previous Skate Canada International event.
In the ice dance category, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron from France clinched first place with a total of 204.18 points. The American pair, Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, secured the third spot with 196.02 points. Fournier Beaudry, originally from Montreal, switched to representing France and partnered with Cizeron, the 2022 Olympic champion, winning gold at the Grand Prix de France earlier in the season.
Other Canadian results included Madeline Schizas finishing fifth in the women’s competition and Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud placing fifth in pairs. The Finlandia Trophy concluded the Grand Prix series, serving as the final opportunity for skaters to qualify for the Grand Prix Final scheduled for December in Nagoya, Japan.
For live coverage of the Grand Prix Final, viewers can tune in to CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. The event will feature the top six performers in each discipline, offering a mid-season assessment of their competitive standing.