Three Canadian Skaters Reclaim their National Titles on Final Day of Canadian Championships
LAVAL, QC (January 19, 2025) – The Canadian National Skating Championships wrapped up in style on Sunday, as Madeline Schizas was crowned senior women’s Canadian champion and Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier defended their ice dance title before a sold out crowd.
Schizas, of Ontario, who won silver at last year’s event after clinching the national title in 2022 and 2023, found herself back on top of the podium today. She was the last skater to take to the ice at Place Bell on Sunday, and her magnificent free program earned her a score of 133.87 points, for a grand total of 203.87 and a new Canadian record.
“I feel great! Not only am I happy to have won, but I’m also very proud of the way I performed,” said Schizas. “I was pretty nervous! Every year, I find it hard to wait for my turn and to skate last, but today, I was able to overcome the pressure.”
The competition was tight for the remaining two spots on the women’s podium. Silver medallist Sara-Maude Dupuis of Quebec (182.61 points) made her first-ever career appearance on the Canadian Championships podium, as did Ontario’s Katherine Medland Spence (181.55 points), who won bronze.
In senior ice dance, Ontarians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier captured the Canadian Championships gold medal for the second consecutive year and the fourth time in their career.
“We’re very proud of what we accomplished here today. The competition went well from start to finish, and we enjoyed every minute of it,” said Poirier.
With a new personal best score of 137.71 in free dance, the 2024 World Championships silver medallists ended today’s competition with a total of 229.55 points.
“It’s truly an honour to be back on top of this podium and to build some momentum for the remainder of the season. It’s a special place for us to deliver a performance like this one, here in front of our fans, and we’re very grateful,” added Gilles.
Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha of Quebec missed last year’s Canadian Championships due to injury. On Sunday, they made a strong comeback, securing the silver medal in front of their hometown crowd with a total score of 218.52 points. Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer, also of Quebec, finished the day with a total of 195.88 points and the bronze medal.
The final day of the Canadian Championships could not have gotten off to a better start on Sunday, as spectators witnessed the induction of Olympic silver medallist Joannie Rochette and her coach Manon Perron into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame. Their success and resilience will never be forgotten, nor will the immense impact they have had on Canadian figure skating.
The complete results of the 2025 Canadian Championships can be found here.