Canadian Figure Skating Championships 2022: TV Schedule and Top Contenders
January 6, 2022
The 2021 Canadian Figure Skating Championships were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the event returns this year, although it will look a bit different than usual.
Due to recent COVID-19 surges, no fans will be in attendance when the nation's best figure skaters take to the ice at the TD Place Arena in Ottawa. However, there will be TV coverage on Saturday and Sunday via CBC, as well as live-streaming throughout the event, which begins Thursday and lasts until Jan. 13.
With the Winter Olympics set to take place in February in Beijing, the championships will help decide who will be representing Canada at the Games. So the stakes will be even higher than usual.
Here's everything else you need to know about this year's Canadian Figure Skating Championships.
Championship Schedule
Friday, Jan. 7
Women's short program, noon ET
Rhythm dance, 2:45 p.m. ET
Pairs short program, 5:30 p.m. ET
Men's short program, 6:50 p.m. ET
Saturday, Jan. 8
Women's free skate, 10:30 a.m. ET
Free dance, 1:45 p.m. ET
Pairs free skate, 5:15 p.m. ET
Men's free skate, 6:45 p.m. ET
Events will be streamed live on CBC.
Preview, Top Contenders
While certain figure skaters have dominated the Canadian Figure Skating Championships over the years by capturing multiple titles, the last edition of the event in 2020 had first-time winners in both the men's and women's championship-level competitions.
Roman Sadovsky won the men's gold medal in 2020, after he had never placed better than fourth over the previous seven years. He will be among the top contenders this year, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he tops the podium for the second straight time at the event.
The 22-year-old from Toronto may have taken the gold in 2020, but he placed third in the short program before going on to place first in the free skate. In the short program, he finished behind silver medalist Nam Nguyen and bronze medalist Keegan Messing.
Nguyen is a two-time winner at the championships, as he captured the gold in 2015 and 2019. So if anybody can take down Sadovsky this year, it could be the 23-year-old from Ottawa.
Messing, a 29-year-old from Alaska, has never won this event. But he captured the silver medal in 2018, then the bronze in both 2019 and 2020. Maybe this could be the year when he surpasses Sadovsky and Nguyen to win the gold.
In the women's championship-level competition, Emily Bausback is looking to become a two-time winner. She captured the gold medal in 2020, which was her third appearance in the competition. She placed second at the junior level in 2017.
The 19-year-old from Vancouver will likely be the favorite to win this year's women's event, but there are some other strong competitors in the field.
Alison Schumacher and Madeline Schizas won the silver and bronze medals, respectively, in 2020. They'll both be competing again in 2022, with each looking to win the gold for the first time.
Gabrielle Daleman is among the most decorated women's figure skaters at this year's event. She is a two-time winner of the competition, capturing the gold in both 2015 and 2018. She also won the silver medal in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
However, the 23-year-old from Toronto placed fifth in 2019 and eighth in 2020. So she's going to be aiming to get back on the podium after tougher showings in her last two appearances at the event.
Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro won the pairs competition in 2019 and 2020 and will be chasing a third gold this year. Evelyn Walsh and Trennt Michaud finished second in both of those years, and they'll be looking to go one better in 2022.