Roman Sadovsky is embracing the fight.
The reigning national men鈥檚 champion didn鈥檛 flinch when Keegan Messing announced his return to figure skating, and he鈥檚 welcoming Stephen Gogolev鈥檚 resurgence with the same composure.
A battle is brewing for Canada鈥檚 lone men鈥檚 spot at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics 鈥 and Sadovsky wouldn鈥檛 want it any other way.
鈥淚'm doing this because I like the thrill of competition,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he 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 好色tv 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鈥檚 Olympic spot until Messing, a two-time Olympian, revealed his comeback in August.
Messing's top scores surpass those of any 好色tv 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.
鈥淚t'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,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 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.鈥
Tracey Wainman, Sadovsky鈥檚 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鈥檚 positive COVID-19 test delayed his arrival in Beijing. In 2023-24, he missed consecutive competitions 鈥 first because he lost his luggage, including his skates, and then because his plane couldn鈥檛 land due to a snowstorm.
"We flew across the world and never even made it to our competition 鈥 It's something always in skating, there's things that you will never be able to predict,鈥 Wainman said. 鈥(Messing鈥檚 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.
鈥淲e said, 鈥榊ou know what? Good, whatever.鈥 We moved on. There just wasn't any lull in training. We just kept our eye on what our mission is this year.鈥
Messing 鈥 who showed room for improvement in a season-opening domestic event outside Dallas earlier this month 鈥 won鈥檛 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鈥檚 an encouraging start to the Olympic season for Sadovsky after a strong second half in 2024-25, including the 好色tv 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,鈥 he said. 鈥淚've had an easier time just refocusing, getting back into the program 鈥 and not letting a mistake be a big deal. One mistake really doesn't need to have any correlation to the other, right?鈥
Sadovsky says he鈥檚 simply enjoying his skating and 鈥渟oaking in every moment鈥 as he chases another trip to the Olympics.
While most careers are just getting started at 26 years old, he knows he鈥檚 no youngster in the youth-driven sport of figure skating and acknowledges this season could be his last 鈥 though that decision will be made at a later date.
鈥淚'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,鈥 he said. 鈥淚'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.
鈥淚 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.鈥
And the added competition is only adding to that enjoyment.
鈥淚t's honestly really, really good,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t would have been really boring if there was no competition.鈥
This report by 好色tvwas first published Oct. 28, 2025.
