A loose shoelace is no match for a man on a mission.
Whether that mission is to rob a bank or skate the best short program of his figure skating career.
Canada’s Stephen Gogolev was so much into his gangster-themed short at the 2026 ISU World Figure Skating Championships on Thursday (26 March) that he did not notice his shoelace had slipped out of his boot until the final seconds of the skate.
“Usually I just tuck them into my pants and this time I tucked it a little bit more into the lining of the pants because I had the same issue at the Olympic Games,” Gogolev told Olympics.com with a laugh. “I guess it didn’t work out.”
Just as at Milano Cortina 2026, Gogolev was unfazed by the loose shoelace at his debut world championships in Prague, Czechia. He scored his personal best of 94.38 points and sits fifth heading into the free skate on Saturday.
The confidence the Canadian skater showed in his short program was in stark contrast to the past seasons when, sidelined with injuries, even deciding to fight through and stay in the sport already felt like an accomplishment.
Gogolev shot into the spotlight as a child prodigy, landing triple Axels and quad Salchows at the age of 10. The expectations were high on him to succeed and initially, he delivered on that promise. A junior national champion in 2017, Gogolev made his first senior national appearance at age 13 and took a silver medal one year later.
A teenage growth spurt put a dent in his rapid rise. On top of that, Gogolev started experiencing back issues. Stress fractures in his lower lumbar spine forced him to miss training and withdraw from multiple competitions.
So, when he managed to come back strong and finish fifth at his first Olympic Games – backing up that result with his strong first skate at the 2026 Worlds – it felt like an even bigger accomplishment.
“It was definitely a hard few years in the previous seasons,” Gogolev said. “It creates quite a good story that I was out for probably three seasons and then I came back and I was able to do the Olympic Games and now I’m back at the highest level that I’ve ever been.”
- 2026 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Prague: Top skaters, competition schedule, how to watch live
- 2026 ISU World Figure Skating Championships: Schedule, all results, and medallists – full list
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/isu-world-figure-skating-championships-2026-prague-stephen-gogolev-relishes-gangster-vibes-personal-best
