Canada’s Stephen Gogolev finishes fourth at world figure skating championships

By Canadian Press on March 28, 2026.

PRAGUE — Canada’s Stephen Gogolev finished fourth in men’s singles with another impressive performance Saturday at the world figure skating championships.

Fifth after Thursday’s short program, Gogolev scored a personal-best 186.66 in his free skate to “Piano Concerto No. 2” by Sergei Rachmaninov to move up one spot. That lifted his total to 281.04 — a score that would have landed him on the podium last year.

Self-proclaimed “Quad God” Ilia Malinin captured his third consecutive world title with 329.40 points, rebounding from a devastating free skate at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Yuma Kagiyama won his fourth career silver medal with 306.67, climbing from sixth to second with a mesmerizing free program. Japanese teammate Shun Sato took bronze with 288.54.

Gogolev, a child prodigy once seen as Canada’s next big thing before back injuries derailed his trajectory, capped a breakout season that also included a fifth-place finish in his Olympic debut, a national title and a Grand Prix medal.

Competing at his first world championships, the 21-year-old from Toronto stepped onto the ice Saturday with the O2 Arena crowd buzzing after Kagiyama’s skate and delivered a clean program, even if he appeared tight on some jumps.

The world championships conclude later Saturday with the free dance. Canadian ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier sit second after Friday’s rhythm dance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2026.

The Canadian Press