Ilia Malinin flies into the lead at Skate Canada, on the verge of a 12th consecutive international win

Skate Canada: Tomono and Selevko build Milano cases

While Malinin has all but been named to the US Olympic team Milan Cortina 2026Tomono and Selevko helped their cases in Saskatoon, with both competing in the Grand Prix for the first time this season.

The Japanese men have three spots for the Games, led by the Olympic and world medalist Kagiyama Yuma. The Federation has a “body of work” selection criteria, and Tomono said he felt some nerves at Skate Canada when he thought about it.

“I was able to stay calm and perform well,” he said through an interpreter. “I think I can be sharper than this; the speed wasn’t as fast as normal.”

The 27-year-old is a four-time medalist in the Grand Prix, but not since 2022.

“I worked harder on my free skate,” he said of his “Halston” long program. “If I can make that work the way it works in practice, I’ll be happy.”

Selevko is in a race with his brother, Mikhailfor the only Estonian men’s spot in Milan. He explained that Estonia will only use the two international top scores of this season’s skaters for the selection.

He is looking for his first ever Grand Prix medal – which would also be the first for an Estonian man. Selevko made history for his country when he won silver at the 2024 European Championships – the first at an ISU championship event (in men’s singles).