OTTAWA, ON: Canada will send the largest figure skating team to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. The team comprised of 11 entries, for a total of 17 skaters, includes two entries in men and three entries per discipline in ladies, pairs and ice dance. Competition begins on Friday, February 9, with the team event, and runs through to Friday, February 23, with all events taking place at the Gangneung Ice Arena.
The Canadian team will be lead by Opening Ceremony flag bearers and figure skating team co-captains Tessa Virtue, 28, London, Ont., and Scott Moir, 30, Ilderton, Ont. The three-time world champions will be competing at their third Olympic Winter Games, having previously won gold in 2010 and two silver medals (ice dance and team event) in 2014. This season, they won gold at both Skate Canada International and the NHK Trophy, and silver at the ISU Grand Prix Final. The eight-time Canadian champions are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que.
Three-time world champion Patrick Chan, 27, Toronto, Ont., is the first of two Canadian men entries. Chan will also be competing at his third Olympic Winter Games, having placed fifth in 2010 and won two silver medals in 2014 (men’s singles and team event). This season he placed fourth at Skate Canada International and won his record 10th Canadian title. Chan is coached by Oleg Epstein and Ravi Walia.
Canadian silver medallist Keegan Messing, 26, Sherwood Park, Alta./Brampton, Ont., is the second Canadian men’s entry. This season, he placed eighth at Skate Canada International and fifth at the NHK Trophy. Messing is coached by Ralph Burghart in Anchorage, AK, USA.
World bronze medallist and 2018 Canadian champion Gabrielle Daleman, 20, Newmarket, Ont., is one of three Canadian entries in ladies. Daleman placed 17th in Sochi as the youngest Canadian athlete at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. This season, Daleman placed sixth at both the Cup of China and Skate America. The two-time Canadian champion is coached by Lee Barkell and Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.
World silver medallist Kaetlyn Osmond, 22, Marystown, Nfld./Edmonton, Alta., will also represent Canada in the ladies’ category. Osmond placed 13th at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in ladies singles and won the silver medal in the team event. This season, she won gold at Skate Canada International, bronze at the Internationaux de France, and bronze at the ISU Grand Prix Final. The three-time Canadian champion is coached by Ravi Walia in Edmonton, Alta.
Canadian bronze medallist Larkyn Austman, 19, Coquitlam, B.C., will be the third Canadian entry in ladies. This will be her first Olympic Games. This season, Austman placed 12th at Skate Canada International. She is coached by Zdenek Pazdirek and Liz Putnam in Coquitlam, B.C.
Two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel, 32, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 32, Balmertown, Ont., will be the first of three Canadian entries pairs. Duhamel and Radford placed seventh in the pairs event and won the silver medal in the team event at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. This season, they won gold at Skate Canada International, bronze at Skate America and bronze at the ISU Grand Prix Final. The seven-time consecutive Canadian champions are coached by Bruno Marcotte in Montreal, Que.
Canadian silver medallists Julianne Séguin, 21, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 24, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will be the second Canadian pairs entry. This will be their first Olympic Games. This season, they placed fifth at the Rostelecom Cup and fourth at the NHK Trophy. Séguin and Bilodeau are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.
Canadian bronze medallists Kirsten Moore-Towers, 25, St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro, 26, Sarnia, Ont., are the third Canadian entry in pairs. Moore-Towers will make her second appearance at the Games after wining a silver medal in the team event in 2014 with her previous partner. This will be Marinaro’s first Olympics. This season, Moore-Towers and Marinaro won the bronze medal at the Cup of China and placed sixth at Skate America. They are coached by Bruno Marcotte, Richard Gauthier and Sylvie Fullum in Montreal, Que.
Canadian silver medallists Piper Gilles, 26, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 26, Unionville, Ont., will represent Canada in ice dance. Poirier will compete for the second time at an Olympic Games, he placed 14th in 2010 with his previous partner. This season, they placed fourth at both the Rostelecom Cup and Skate America. They are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs in Scarborough, Ont.
Two-time world medallists Kaitlyn Weaver, 28, Toronto, Ont., and Andrew Poje, 30, Waterloo, Ont., will also represent Canada in ice dance. Weaver and Poje placed seventh at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. This season, they won silver at Skate Canada International and placed fourth at the Internationaux de France. The two-time Canadian champions are coached by Nikolai Morozov and train in Hackensack, NJ, USA.
Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director, and Manon Perron of Boucherville, Que., will be the Canadian team leaders. Dr. Erika Persson of Edmonton, Alta., and physiotherapists Agnes Makowski of Toronto, Ont., and Meghan Buttle of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Officials from Canada at the event include Leanna Caron of Timmins, Ont., Janice Hunter of West Vancouver, B.C., Nicole Leblanc-Richard of Dieppe, N.B., and Jeff Lukasik of Calgary, Alta.
Emma Bowie, Skate Canada Communications Manager, will be the media attaché at the event. For onsite media requests, she can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 010-5166-4154.
For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.
CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2018 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES
Discipline |
Name |
Age |
Hometown |
Club |
Coach |
Men |
Patrick Chan |
27 |
Toronto, Ont. |
Granite Club |
Oleg Epstein / Ravi Walia |
Men |
Keegan Messing |
26 |
Sherwood Park, Alta. & Brampton, Ont. |
Sherwood Park FSC |
Ralph Burghart |
Ladies |
Gabrielle Daleman |
20 |
Newmarket, Ont. |
Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club |
Lee Barkell / Brian Orser |
Ladies |
Kaetlyn Osmond |
22 |
Marystown, Nfld. & Edmonton, Alta. |
Ice Palace FSC |
Ravi Walia |
Ladies |
Larkyn Austman |
19 |
Coquitlam, B.C. |
Coquitlam SC |
Zdenek Pazdirek / Liz Putnam |
Pairs |
Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford |
32/32 |
Lively, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont. |
CPA Saint-Léonard / CPA Saint-Léonard |
Bruno Marcotte |
Pairs |
Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau |
21/24 |
Longueuil, Que ./ Trois-Pistoles, Que. |
CPA Longueuil / CPA Chambly |
Josée Picard |
Pairs |
Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro |
25/26 |
St. Catharines, Ont. / Sarnia, Ont. |
Kitchener-Waterloo SC / Point Edward SC Inc. |
Bruno Marcotte / Richard Gauthier/ Sylvie Fullum |
Ice Dance |
Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir |
28/30 |
London, Ont. / Ilderton, Ont. |
Montreal International Skating School / Montreal International Skating School |
Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer |
Ice Dance |
Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier |
26/26 |
Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. |
Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC |
Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs |
Ice Dance |
Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje |
28/30 |
Toronto, Ont. / Waterloo, Ont. |
Sault FSC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC |
Nikolai Morozov |