Keegan Messing figure skating

Keegan Messing

Girdwood’s Keegan Messing captured his first Grand Prix medal after striking silver at Skate Canada in Quebec.

The 26-year-old used a first-place showing in the short program and a second-place effort in the long program to add up to one of his greatest accomplishment on ice.

Defending Skate Canada champion Shoma Uno of Japan leapfrogged Messing on the final day, winning by an 11-point margin, in a battle between Olympic skaters. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, Uno won silver and Messing took 12th for Team Canada.

Messing, who is a dual citizen, led by almost seven points after the short program and delivered a strong Charlie Chaplin-themed free skate, but his program did not have the technical merit compared to Uno. That meant Messing had to be perfect.

It’s been a big year for Messing, who completed at the Olympics, won the Nebelhorn Trophy, captured his first Grand Prix medal and got engaged to girlfriend Lane Hodson.

She said yes after he proposed at McHugh Peak in the Chugach Mountains.

“We had to pitch a wind block because it was blowing about 30-40 miles an hour up there,” Messing told the Anchorage Daily News. “Everything went wrong. I made her favorite soup but then forgot the matches for the stove. So no soup. No hot chocolate.

“But if she says ‘yes’ when everything goes wrong …”