Sadovsky leads after short program at Canadian figure skating championships
Stellato-Dudek, Deschamps lead pairs competition, seeking 3rd straight national title
Roman Sadovsky won't dance around it. He knows the Canadian men's figure skating title is there for the taking.
"These things come and go in your mind," he said. "The reality is it's like you tell someone, `Don't think about elephants,' and then what are you thinking about? You're thinking about elephants.
"It's definitely a challenge to stay focused and I'm trying to just let those thoughts come in and come out."
Sadovsky managed it well and took the lead in the men's 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 in Laval, Que.
"That was probably the worst axel I did all weekend," Sadovsky said before breaking out in laughter. "But that does happen sometimes, can't beat myself up too much."
The 25-year-old from Vaughan, Ont., is seeking his second Canadian 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).
WATCH l Sadovsky earns top score of 81.44 in short program:
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 Canadian citizenship in December.
It was also the duo's first event since November because Deschamps's illness forced them to withdraw from the Grand Prix Final in December.
"I really feel like we're starting the season over," Stellato-Dudek said. "I feel like we've metaphorically pressed control-alt-delete, and now we're restarting.
"This felt like the first competition of the year again, and nationals is always nerve-racking ... 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."
WATCH l Stellato-Dudek, Deschamps perform short program at nationals:
Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud placed second (70.43), while Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Ethier were third (63.10), matching the order of last year's podium.
Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps are seeking a three-peat at nationals.
The men's 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's 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's been recovering from a sickness the past 15 days.
"There were a couple of days I was just at home in bed, couldn't move," he said. "My training was just lacking coming in.
"The 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."
Skate Canada factors results into its selection for the world championships in March, but high-performance director Mike Slipchuk said they'll announce a decision after Four Continents in February. Canada will only send one men's skater to worlds in Boston.
For now, Sadovsky is focused on finishing the job Saturday.
"It'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," he said. "It is kind of like a marathon, not a long one.
"It'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."
Watch live coverage of the Canadian figure skating championships on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. A live streaming schedule is available here.