'That's Keegan': Messing's return to competitive figure skating no shock to Browning

Keegan Messing's return to competitive skating comes as little surprise to those who've followed him closely since his retirement.

For the past two years, Messing has been performing in rinks around the world on show tours with Kurt Browning, and the Canadian figure skating legend says if anything, his triple axels look cleaner.

"I've just been watching him skate so strongly," Browning said. "Do a backflip, land on one foot, step, triple axel. I skate over to him and I'm like, 'Your triple axel looks better now with a backflip in front of it than it did when you're at the Olympics.'"

Messing, a two-time Olympian and two-time Canadian national champion, raised eyebrows in the figure skating world last week when he announced his return with an eye on next February's Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy.

The 33-year-old dual citizen from Girdwood, Alaska, says landing a difficult jump during the Stars on Ice holiday tour last December sparked thoughts of a comeback.

"I got it in my head, `You know what, I want to go for quad toe again,"' said Messing in a phone interview from Skate Canada's high-performance camp in Mississauga, Ont. "Took me a couple of tries, but ended up nailing one.

"That was where the seed was planted. I landed that, and I was like, `Huh, can I do this?"'

Messing's international resume isn't overflowing with medals — his best result is a silver at the Four Continents Championship, and his career-best finish at the world championships was sixth in 2021 — but the five-foot-four showman became a fan favourite with passionate and energetic programs.

His return also spices up the men's discipline in Canada, which has lacked standout performances since he left the scene after the 2022-23 season.

If Messing