Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps Crowned Pair World Champions in Montreal
MONTREAL, CANADA (March 21, 2024) – Deanna Stellato-Dudek rewrote the history books with her partner Maxime Deschamps on Thursday night at the 2024 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal as they took home gold in the pair competition and she became the oldest female world figure skating champion of all time at 40 years old.
With a healthy lead after the short program, Stellato-Dudek of Chicago, USA, and Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., laid down a near-flawless performance to score a new season’s best score of 144.08 for their free skate to finish with a total score of 221.56.
“This was a pretty incredible experience,” said Stellato-Dudek of their free skate that had the Bell Centre fans on their feet cheering even before they had finished their performance. “When I started skating again, I dreamed of being here, but actually being here, is something very different. I couldn’t’ be happier – this is a dream come true.”
For Deschamps, who grew up near Montreal, the win was almost hard to put into words: “This is incredible. I remember being in the stands cheering for the Montreal Canadiens, and now people were cheering for me. This is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan, the 2023 World Champions, had the highest score of the night at 144.35, but it was not enough to top the Canadians as they took silver with a total score of 217.88. Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany took the bronze with a total score of 210.40.
Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Vaughn, Ont., earned an impressive top-10 finish in the pair competition, capturing 8th place with a free skate score of 122.10 and a total score of 186.93.
“We knew today was going to be an emotional day no matter the circumstance because we love this program so much,” said Pereira. “The fall on the throw was quite disappointing because we hoped for such a great moment, but there still a lot of great things that I can take away from this and it’s an experience I’ll remember forever.”
Kelly Ann Laurin of St-Jérôme, Que., and Loucas Éthier of Deux-Montagnes, Que., who were making their World Championships debut, finished in 15th place with a total score of 169.48.
The men’s short program started off the day and saw Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., post a triumphant return to form after a challenging season that saw him miss several competitions due to injury and travel mishaps. He finished the day in 11th place with a season’s best score of 84.28.
“That’s what redemption looks like. That’s what training looks like,” laughed Sadovsky following his performance. “This competition is definitely the most training I’ve had all year and it showed. Everything I’m doing is just sharper, with more confidence, and that carries over into the performance.”
Wesley Chiu of Vancouver, B.C., made his World Championships debut after celebrating his 19th birthday yesterday. He delivered a strong performance but stumbled on his quad toe jump and had difficulty in his step sequence. He currently sits 18th with a score of 78.00.
Shoma Uno of Japan, the reigning two-time World Champion, showed he’s still the man to beat after securing first place with a season’s best score of 107.22. His teammate Yuma Kagiyama, silver medallist at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, captured second place with a score of 106.35 and Ilia Malinin of the USA sits third with a score of 105.97.
The Ice dance competition starts Friday with the rhythm dance and will be followed by the women’s free program. The competition will wrap up on Saturday with the free dance position of the ice dance competition, and the men’s free skate.
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