Canada’s Stephen Gogolev in fifth after men’s short program at figure skating worlds

Stephen Gogolev of Canada competes during the figure skating men's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

PRAGUE — Canada’s Stephen Gogolev continued his breakout season Thursday, finishing fifth in the men’s singles short program at the world figure skating championships.

Competing at his first worlds, Gogolev delivered a personal-best 94.38 points with a clean skate to “Mugzy’s Move” by American swing band Royal Crown Revue.

“I felt like I was really able to put out the performance that I really wanted to and give energy throughout the program,” Gogolev said.

Two-time world champion Ilia Malinin of the United States led the field with 111.29 points, bouncing back after he unravelled with an error-filled free skate and fell from first to eighth at last month’s Milan Cortina Winter Games. France’s Adam Siao Him Fa sat second (101.85) and Estonia’s Aleksandr Selevko was third (96.49).

Gogolev is coming off a fifth-place finish in Milan, landing just 1.12 points off the podium in his Olympic debut.

Once a child prodigy, the 21-year-old from Toronto is making a name for himself on the senior international stage after years of back injuries kept him off the ice.

“It was definitely a hard few years in the previous seasons, but I’m very happy, and I think it creates for quite a good story,” Gogolev said. “Now I’m back at the highest level that I’ve ever been.

“(The Olympics) definitely increased my confidence quite a bit in that I’m able to compete at a much higher level than I expected to be at the beginning of the season. I’m not really sure if I feel any difference in expectations, I would say, because I think the goal for every competition is to just to do the best I can.”

The men’s free program is scheduled for Saturday. Gogolev could secure a second entry for Canada at next year’s world championships with a top-10 placement.

Competition continues Thursday with the pairs free skate. Canadian champions Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud sit in third after scoring a personal-best 75.52 in Wednesday’s short program.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 26, 2026.