LAVAL, Que. 鈥� Roman Sadovsky won鈥檛 dance around it. He knows the 91原创 men鈥檚 figure skating title is there for the taking.
鈥淭hese things come and go in your mind,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he reality is it's like you tell someone, 鈥楧on't think about elephants,鈥� and then what are you thinking about? You're thinking about elephants.
鈥淚t's definitely a challenge to stay focused and I'm trying to just let those thoughts come in and come out.鈥�
Sadovsky managed it well and took the lead in the men鈥檚 event by winning Friday's short program.
The 2022 Olympian fell on his triple axel but landed a quad jump to score 81.44 points before a sold-out crowd at Place Bell.
鈥淭hat was probably the worst axel I did all weekend,鈥� Sadovsky said before breaking out in laughter. 鈥淏ut that does happen sometimes, can't beat myself up too much.鈥�
The 25-year-old from Vaughan, Ont., is seeking his second 91原创 championship after capturing gold in 2020.
Local favourite Anthony Paradis of Boisbriand, Que., who won bronze last year in Calgary, finished second (77.27) and Toronto's John Kim was third (71.32).
In pairs, world champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps led the short program with 76.31 points. The U.S.-born Stellato-Dudek, 41, competed for the first time since gaining 91原创 citizenship in December.
It was also the duo鈥檚 first event since November because Deschamps鈥檚 illness forced them to withdraw from the Grand Prix Final in December.
鈥淚 really feel like we're starting the season over,鈥� Stellato-Dudek said. 鈥淚 feel like we've metaphorically pressed control-alt-delete, and now we're restarting.
鈥淭his felt like the first competition of the year again, and nationals is always nerve-racking 鈥� it was a step in the right direction. I have not done a throw that bad in months, so that's really irritating, but other than that it's pretty good.鈥�
Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud placed second (70.43), while Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas 脡thier were third (63.10), matching the order of last year鈥檚 podium.
Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps are seeking a three-peat at nationals.
The men鈥檚 and pairs free programs are scheduled for Saturday.
Sadovsky, reigning champion Wesley Chiu, Aleksa Rakic and Stephen Gogolev were viewed as top contenders in a wide-open men鈥檚 competition heading into this year.
Chiu (ankle) and Gogolev (back) then withdrew due to injury, and Rakic, who won silver a year ago, placed a disappointing seventh Friday after falling on two jumps.
The 20-year-old Rakic, from Burnaby, B.C., said he鈥檚 been recovering from a sickness the past 15 days.
鈥淭here were a couple of days I was just at home in bed, couldn鈥檛 move,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y training was just lacking coming in.
鈥淭he quad is a little excusable mistake, but the (triple) flip toe I should have done, and it was costly, because now after seeing the results of some of the others, I would have been in the mix very easily I think if I did that.鈥�
Skate Canada factors results into its selection for the world championships in March, but high-performance director Mike Slipchuk said they鈥檒l announce a decision after Four Continents in February. Canada will only send one men鈥檚 skater to worlds in Boston.
For now, Sadovsky is focused on finishing the job Saturday.
鈥淚t's really going to be trying to reinforce what I did well today and then trying to bring just a little bit more, bring that axel in,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is kind of like a marathon, not a long one.
鈥淚t's an all-day mind game and it's going to be like really focusing on recovery tonight, getting the right rest, getting in the right head space.鈥�
This report by The 91原创 Press was first published Jan. 17, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The 91原创 Press
