Standing under the cover of a historic archway in the heart of Milan, Canada’s Stephen Gogolev reflected on one of the most spectacular nights for figure skating. An upset on the podium, and one of the best results Canada has seen at the event in years.
“It was quite a shock to see,” said Gogolev, when asked about the stunning unravelling of the performance by American Ilia Malinin.
He was expected to pack in seven quadruple jumps, but his routine sent him crashing into the ice twice.
“I think a lot of people were just quite in shock and surprised at what happened because Ilia has been such a strong performer, and the leader leading into this competition,” Gogolev said.
The two-time reigning world champion had been unbeaten for more than two years, until now. It’s being called one of Olympic figure skating’s biggest upsets.
While fans outside the arena expressed disappointment about the American result, Canadian figure skating fans are celebrating Gogolev’s success, who charmed the audience with his best career performance, placing 5th overall in an impressive Olympic debut.
The result has yet to set in for the skater who dreamed of one day coming to the games.
“When I actually think about it and how big of an achievement it is for me, I think it’s unreal,” Gogolev said.
His 5th place finish was the best by a Canadian men’s skater, since Patrick Chan won silver at the 2014 Sochi Games.
“It was a very, very amazing experience. The way I performed was the best I’ve performed in my whole career. I think it was special moment because my parents were also in the crowd,” Gogolev said.
The 21-year-old admits he had modest expectations for his individual event coming into the games, now he couldn’t be happier with a result that proves what he is capable of.
Additionally, his career best performance was at his first Olympic games, which is also still settling in.
“It’s been (a) really amazing experience, especially meeting people in the village and seeing all the different athletes,” Gogolev said, admitting that it’s “cool” to see other professional athletes, including hockey players just hanging out in the dining hall.
The Olympic skater is still getting used to the spotlight and is surprised when fans approach him in public, though he is gracious with his time.
CTV News watched several young fans ask for photographs while standing near Milan’s Duomo for the interviews.
“I think it’s very special and something new to me, because I feel like people around here are much bigger fans of figure skating… Or maybe it’s just Olympics games,” he said.
Gogolev is expected to compete for Canada again at the world championships in Prague in March. For now, he’s sticking around in Italy to soak in the excitement of his first Olympics.
