Skate Canada is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Robert (Bob) Paul. Paul was an acclaimed pairs skater whose many accomplishments catapulted Canadian figure skating to historic heights. He died peacefully on December 19, 2024, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Joining as a team in 1952, Paul and his partner Barbara Wagner were an unstoppable force in pairs figure skating. The duo started skating together when Paul was only 13 and quickly proved to be a perfect match. They were Canadian champions for five consecutive years, North American champions for three, and World champions for four. Paul and Wagner capped off their remarkable career at the 1960 Winter Olympic Games, where they served as Canada’s flagbearers for the opening ceremony and became the first North American pair to win an Olympic gold medal.

Retiring from amateur competition in 1960, Paul went on to become a celebrated skating coach and choreographer. He guided the performances of many notable athletes, including Olympic gold medalists, and later served as the director of choreography for Disney on Ice.

An icon of the sport, Paul’s achievements have left an enduring impact on figure skating in Canada, and around the world. Paul’s remarkable career was memorialized in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1957, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1958, the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1980, and in the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 1993.

Skate Canada offers its sincere sympathies to Bob’s family and friends.