Hot ice forecast for figure skating nationals

Ava Kemp and Yohnatan Elizarov won’t be cautiously dipping their toe-picks into senior competition waters at the 2026 Canadian figure skating championships this week in Gatineau, Que.

Rather, the reigning national junior pair champions will enthusiastically jump into the proverbial deep end of the pool beginning with official practices on Thursday.

By virtue of their world standing points, the Winnipeg duo has been slotted to practice and compete in the grouping with Canada’s three top-ranked pair teams, including 2024 world titleholders and 2026 Olympic medal hopefuls Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, who are vying for their fourth national crown.

“They’re very excited about it,” said Kevin Dawe, who has coached Kemp and Elizarov since the start of their partnership in 2020, first in Winnipeg and now in Toronto.

“I think they’re not intimidated, really just staying within themselves and looking at it as an exciting opportunity to skate with (the top teams) rather than feeling any pressure. That’s what we want for them is to have the experience — ‘hey, this is what senior is’ — and to be ready for it.”

After winning bronze at the prestigious Junior Grand Prix Final in Japan last month, Kemp and Elizarov have rejigged some of their lifts to garner higher execution scores and worked with their choreographers to tweak their program presentation ahead of their senior national debut.

With a national novice title, two junior wins and impressive senior international competition scores already on their resumés, Kemp, 17, and Elizarov, 22, have demonstrated potential to reach the senior podium in their rookie year and make their case for assignment to upcoming ISU championships — such as Four Continents in Beijing 10 days after Canadians.

However, it’s unlikely they will factor into the conversation for the two pair spots Canada is allotted for February’s Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, given the international track record and experience of Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud, runners-up nationally to Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps the past two years.

Dawe noted, “It’s very cool for Ava and Yoni to be skating in that final group for the short (program) with teams that are vying for Olympics and seeing how they handle the pressure and that environment. Their goal is to continue to learn from these experiences for future years.”

David Howes, another Winnipeg born and bred skater initially trained by Dawe, will also make his debut in the senior ranks at Gatineau’s Centre Slush Puppie, while Dauphin native Breken Brezden competes for a third time in senior women’s competition.

Their high-stakes events promise ultra-excitement as top seeds face off for the lone Olympic spot available in each discipline.

Frontrunners for the coveted men’s berth are two Toronto athletes — reigning national champion Roman Sadovsky and the rejuvenated Stephen Gogolev, who missed last season due to a recurring back injury. Both have landed on international podiums this season.

Two former Canadian champions — Howes’ B.C. training mate Wesley Chiu and Keegan Messing, who unexpectedly emerged from his three-year retirement this summer — will also challenge for the podium.

They finished 1-2 at the national championships qualifier in Calgary in December, while Howes ranked 13th of 17 contenders. Sadvosky and Gogolev had byes.

Howes, 19, a former Canadian novice men’s champ and junior bronze medal winner last year, has been rebuilding most of this season after sustaining a right ankle-heel injury last May.

His goal this week is to deliver two clean performances, albeit without the quadruple jump he had hoped to add to his arsenal.

“For sure there’s a lot of drama, a lot media, but also there’s a ton of amazing energy and excitement. Everybody’s bringing their A-game,” said Howes’ coach Keegan Murphy.

“You can either let the energy distract you or make your week more amazing and memorable. I think Davey’s really excited. It’s just a great opportunity for him to start his senior journey at a championship like this one,” Murphy added.

Brezden, 20, who impressed with a fifth-place result at the 2025 Canadian championships, faced a seemingly insurmountable task in qualifying for Canadians this season.

On the rebound from ligament damage in both knees that stymied her training for several months, the now Hamilton-based athlete found herself in 20th place after a flawed short program skate in Calgary. To make the top-15 cut for Canadians among the qualifier’s 34 contenders, she had to deliver a freeskate that would lift her at least five spots in the final standings.

Brezden met that challenge and then some — her trademark megawatt smile disguising any inner tension as she ranked eighth in the free and soared to 12th overall.

“She’s been training really well now, (emphasizing) high quality over quantity,” said coach Jen Jackson.

“She wants to make herself proud with two really strong programs and see where she ends up.”

Just as in the men’s event, the showdown for the sole Olympic women’s berth will be intense.

Sara-Maude Dupuis — the only Canadian woman to land a triple Axel in competition — and three-time national titleholder Madeline Schizas are the leading contenders. Neither was required to compete at the qualifier which was won by a resurgent Gabby Daleman, former Canadian champion and 2017 world bronze medallist who’s back competing after two years of injury. She could prove the spoiler.

The pairs and men compete their short programs on Friday. The women start Saturday.

Canada’s Olympic figure skating team will be announced Sunday evening.

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