Canadian Athletes Ready to Shine in Japan at 2023 ISU World Figure Skating Championships®

OTTAWA, ON (February 13, 2023) – Thirteen Canadian athletes are gearing up for the biggest competition of the year after a standout season that saw senior skaters win 35 medals on the international stage. The ISU World Figure Skating Championships®, scheduled to take place from March 20-26, 2023, in Saitama, Japan, will feature one woman, two men, two ice dance teams and three pair teams. 

Two-time national champion and Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist Madeline Schizas will be competing in the event for the third time and will be the sole skater to represent Canada in the women’s category.  

The competition will mark the end of an era for two-time Olympian Keegan Messing who will be competing at his final World Championships after a long and illustrious career. The 2023 national champion recently scored a career-best at the 2023 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships®, earning his first silver medal at the event. He will be joined by National Team member and Canadian Tire National Skating Championships silver medalist Conrad Orzel. 

In the pair discipline, Grand Prix de France gold medalists Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps will have their sights set on the podium following another breakthrough performance at the 2023 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships®. 2022 NHK Trophy bronze medalists Brooke McIntosh & Benjamin Mimar will be competing alongside them, as well as the newly formed team of Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud who placed third at nationals and fourth at the 2023 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships®. 

Canadian ice dance teams are returning in full force, with Grand Prix Final gold medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier leading the way. The duo will be competing for the first time since overcoming an injury earlier this year. They will be among the favourites after winning both of their Grand Prix assignments this season. 2023 national champions and Grand Prix finalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen will also be top contenders in this category. 

The competition kicks off on Wednesday, March 22, with the pair and women’s short programs, followed by the pair free program and men’s short program the following day. On Friday, ice dancers will tackle the rhythm dance, while the women’s medals will be awarded. The event concludes on Saturday, March 25 with the free dance and men’s free program. 

Team Canada 

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location 

Women 

Madeline Schizas | 19 | Oakville, Ont. | Nancy Lemaire & Derek Schmidt | Milton, Ont.   

Men 

Keegan Messing | 31 | Girdwood, USA | Ralph Burghart | Anchorage, USA 

Conrad Orzel | 22 | Toronto, Ont. | Ravi Walia | Edmonton, Alta. 

Pair 

Brooke McIntosh | 18 | Toronto, Ont. & Benjamin Mimar | 22 | Terrebonne, Que. | Andrew Evans & Alexander Sheldrick | Toronto, Ont. 

Lia Pereira | 18 | Milton, Ont. & Trennt Michaud | 26 | Trenton, Ont. | Alison Purkiss & Nancy Lemaire| Milton, Ont.   

Deanna Stellato-Dudek | 39 | Chicago, USA & Maxime Deschamps | 31 | Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. | Josée Picard | Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.    

Ice Dance 

Laurence Fournier Beaudry | 30 | Montreal, Que. & Nikolaj Soerensen | 33 | Montreal, Que. | Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon | Montreal, Que.     

Piper Gilles | 30 | Toronto, Ont. & Paul Poirier | 30 | Unionville, Ont. | Carol Lane & Juris Razgulajevs | Scarborough, Ont. 

Team Leaders – Mike Slipchuk & Shae Zukiwsky 

Medical Team – Sylvia Ciurysek & Erika Persson 

Judges & Officials – Leanna Caron, Laurene Collin-Knoblauch & Beth Crane  

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