GATINEAU, QC (Jan.10, 2026) – Gatineau’s Centre Slush Puppie came alive as skaters took to the ice for the fifth day of competition at the 2026 Canadian National Skating Championships.

Things got exciting early in the day as Ontario’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier hit the ground running in the rhythm dance. The four-time national champions scored 93.11, setting a personal best with their performance set to Ru Paul’s “Supermodel (You Better Work)”.

“I think we absolutely worked today,” said Gilles. “It didn’t feel like work, we just skated like we were at home. It was so special, and to get a personal best score I think it just kind of topped the whole moment up.”

The pair heads into tomorrow’s free dance with a comfortable lead as Quebec’s Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha sit in second with 86.93 points, and Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac (Quebec) trail behind in third with 78.64 points.

A new Canadian men’s champion is crowned

On the men’s side, Stephen Gogolev is a national champion. The 21-year-old skater from Toronto came into Saturday’s free skate with a commanding almost 11-point lead, and nearly 18 points clear of defending champion, Roman Sadovsky.

Gogolev showed up and showed out in the free program, scoring 175.90 with a moving and technically strong routine and bringing his total score to a whopping 275.50.

“It feels a bit unreal,” Gogolev said. “I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet. Overall, I’m pretty happy with the performance. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect, but I’m quite satisfied.”

Rounding out the podium, Ontario’s Sadovsky finished second overall with 255.10 points. British Columbia’s Aleksa Rakic followed in third with an overall score of 246.20.

The women’s competition also kicked off on Saturday with the short program. It was an extremely tight race for first, but Ontario’s Minsol Kwon pulled ahead with a score of 66.51.

“I didn’t expect to get first place,” Kwon said. “I’m really happy for that and I’m really thankful for everyone.”

The 16-year-old skater originally hails from Seoul, South Korea, but was officially released by the Korean Skating Union to compete domestically in Canada last October.

She’ll look to hold on to her lead as she heads into tomorrow’s free program, but with Gabrielle Daleman (Ontario) hot on her tail in second, just two tenths of a point behind (66.32), and Quebec’s Sara-Maude Dupuis not far off in third with 65.74 points, it won’t be easy.

Pereira-Michaud notch first national title

Closing out the day was the pairs free program, where leaders Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps looked to build on the momentum gained after their stunning performance on Friday evening.

It was Ontario’s Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud who emerged victorious, claiming their first national title as a pair with 135.03 points and an overall score of 204.14.

“Very happy with how we felt after the skate,” Michaud said. “We’re really proud of how we did this week and today especially. When you sit back and think about it, that was the timeline. You want to be peaking at the right time going into the Olympic season, going into this and hopefully, going into the Olympics.”

Quebec’s Stellato-Dudek, Deschamps fell to second overall with a total score of 201.36, as Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier, also of Quebec, finished third with 197.41 points.

For the complete results, click here.