Gogolev lands fifth in men’s figure skating finale featuring Malinin’s shocking fall

By Canadian Press on February 13, 2026.

MILAN — Canada’s Stephen Gogolev had a promising finish in figure skating while the men’s curling team remained undefeated on Day 7 of the Milan Cortina Olympic Games.

Gogolev, of Toronto, came fifth overall after posting the second-best free skate with a score of 186.37. Gogolev had entered the free program in 10th place after earning 87.41 in his short program.

The finish came as a shock as gold medal favourite and two-time world champion Ilia Malinin, of the United States, landed 8th after falling twice in his program.

Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov claimed gold while Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato rounded out the podium.

In men’s hockey, the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon each had a goal and two assists as Canada improved to 2-0 with a convincing 5-1 win over Switzerland.

Macklin Celebrini, Sidney Crosby and Thomas Harley also scored as Canada clinched Group A ahead of Sunday’s preliminary finale against France.

Brad Jacobs kept the momentum going on the curling sheets, improving to 3-0 with an 8-6 win over Sweden.

Jacobs scored four points in the eighth end when Sweden’s Niklas Edin tried a big-weight double takeout that caught the stone thin. The Swedes got a deuce in the ninth, but Jacobs made a draw for a single in the 10th for the victory.

It came after the team of Jacobs, Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant and Ben Hebert defeated the United States earlier in the day. The morning game saw Jacobs make a highlight-reel shot in the fourth end for a lead the Canadians wouldn’t relinquish, finishing on top 6-3.

On the women’s side, Rachel Homan dropped a 9-8 decision to American Tabitha Peterson in women’s curling round-robin play.

Canada held an 8-7 lead heading into the 10th end, but Peterson made an open draw for a deuce and the victory. Canada fell to 1-1 with the loss, while the Americans improved to 2-1.

Women’s team captain Marie-Philip Poulin returned to practice Friday after missing Canada’s final two preliminary-round games — a loss to the United States and a win over Finland — with a lower-body injury.

She was hurt on a check in a 5-1 victory over Czechia earlier in the tournament.

Poulin’s return comes a day after she skated on her own, and a day before Canada plays Germany in the tournament quarterfinal.

Meanwhile, Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen wrapped up his storied Olympic long-track speedskating career with a ninth-place finish in the men’s 10,000-metre event. The 39-year-old captured the gold medal in the event at Pyeongchang 2018 and won a silver in the men’s 5,000-metre race.

“It’s been a really long career. I had a lot of beautiful moments and this was another beautiful moment in a different way,” Bloeman said Friday.

“Maybe not in a performance way, but I think this was a beautiful goodbye at the biggest stage with my family and kids in the crowd. I got to say goodbye in a beautiful way.”

Pairs skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek was also back on the ice Friday, practising with partner Maxime Deschamps for the first time at the Games since an injury nearly derailed their Olympic hopes.

Stellato-Dudek declined to detail the Jan. 30 training injury, saying only it was not a concussion.

The former world champions withdrew from the team event but will compete in the pairs competition beginning Sunday.

In figure skating, Stephen Gogolev looks to climb the standings in the men’s free program. The 21-year-old from Toronto scored 87.41 points in the short program and sits in 10th place.

Elsewhere, cross-country skier Thomas Stephen finished ninth in the men’s 10 km interval-start race on Friday. Norway’s Johannes Hosflot Klaebo claimed his third gold medal of the 2026 Games, followed by France’s Mathis Desloges and Norway’s Einar Hedegart.

Canada’s Remi Drolet finished 19th in the event.

In biathlon, Calgary’s Adam Runnalls was the highest-placed Canadian in the men’s 10 km sprint event at the Milan Cortina Olympics, finishing 31st.

Ottawa’s Zachary Connelly came 48th, while Logan Pletz of Regina was 55th and Jasper Fleming of Squamish, B.C. crossed the line in 80th.

France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet topped the podium, while athletes from Norway captured the silver and bronze medals.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2026.

The Canadian Press