#Beijing2022: Maple skater Roman Sadovsky 'definitely fired up' for Olympics debut

Former Canadian men's champion eager to take on world's best competitors

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 2, 2022
John Cudmore

For Roman Sadovsky, reaching the biggest stage in his sport has been no overnight success story.

Likewise, if it seems like the Maple resident has grown up before your eyes on the Canadian men’s figure skating, well, that is exactly the case.

In fact, eight years after he made his debut at senior nationals as a 14-year-old, Sadovsky is on his way to the biggest competition of them all.

Sadovsky, now 22, will lace up his skates and compete in the men’s singles competition at the Beijing Olympics.

“Definitely the experience gained from competing at that level helps out,” said Sadovsky, who earned a berth in Beijing on the strength of a silver medal performance at the Canadian national championships held in Ottawa in early January. “The biggest challenge was actually growing through the years and dealing with growth spurts.”

The little kid, who now stands just over six feet tall and won the Canadian title in 2020, trains at the York Region Skating Academy in Richmond Hill.

In a twist, Sadovsky actually created his own opportunity before putting in the on-ice performance at nationals.

His seventh place showing at the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy competition in Oberstdorf, Germany in September earned Canada a second men’s berth for Beijing.

Then he secured his berth on the Canadian team by finishing behind only Keegan Messing at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships.

“I’m definitely fired up,” said Sadovsky during the late stages of training before departing for Beijing. “This a deep event. It’s the Olympics, so it’s the best skaters in the world. I’ll focus on what I can do. I know what the other skaters can do and I can’t control that.”

Although it is his first Olympic Games, Sadovsky did compete at the 2016 Junior Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, finishing fourth, and hopes to draw on that experience.

“I like the energy of being surrounded by like-minded people with that goal of success,” he said. “It’s that energy of people thriving and trying to do their best.”

At the nationals meet, Sadovsky emerged from a tight three-way jam for second place with a strong freeskate to secure the second of two Olympics berths available to Canadian men.

“I was in a good place and had trained well,” he said. “It’s the most training I’ve done. I did everything I could. I took the right steps. I was healthy and on the right track.”

Sadovsky, who is coached by Tracey Wainman and Grzegorz Filipowski, seems to have no intention to make this Games a one-off.

“After this year, I still feel I have a lot left to offer,” he said. “Tracey and I are already planning next year and beyond.”

The men’s short program is scheduled for Feb. 8 with the freeskate on Feb. 10.