Tag Archive for: Deanna Stellato-Dudek / Maxime Deschamps

Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps Crowned Pair World Champions in Montreal

/by

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.

For full results please click here

Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps Soar to New Heights on First Day of World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal

/by

MONTREAL, CANADA (March 20, 2024) – The 2024 ISU World Figure Skating Championships got off to a roaring start on Wednesday at the Bell Centre in Montreal with Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps dominating the pair short program, and all Canadian skaters qualifying for the next phase of the competition.

Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps delivered a flawless skate to finish the short program in first place with a new season’s best score of 77.48 – almost four points ahead of last year’s World Champions – Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan who sit second with 73.53 points. Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii of Italy sit third with 72.88 points.

“It was great today. With the crowd supporting us it helped us get through the second half of the program – it gave us great energy,” said Deschamps who together with Stellato-Dudek entered the competition as gold medallists from the ISU Four Continents Championships and Canadian Championships. “We had a lot of friends and family here, and I had some of my students here as well, so it was really fun to be able to perform in front of them.”

Kelly Ann Laurin of St-Jérome, Que., and Loucas Éthier of Deux-Montagnes, Que., were the first Canadian skaters to take the ice and the crowd erupted with support for the pair who finished the day in 14th place with a new personal best score of 60.18.

“After our more technical elements were done, I was just living the moment and having fun,” said Éthier who took home bronze from this year’s Canadian Championships with Laurin. “I know for a fact there were some movements I didn’t even put in the program because I was just looking at the crowd and having fun. I could sometimes hear very specific friends, or members of my family cheering, and that was really special.”

Also thrilling the Canadian crowds were Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont., who finished the day in 9th place with a score of 64.83.

“Emotions were definitely running high, but I think we did a great job handing that,” said Pereira who together with Michaud entered the competition as gold medallists from the Grand Prix de France. “The short program felt amazing. All the elements went according to plan, and just to feel the energy of the home crowd was so amazing and it’s something I’m never going to forget.”

Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., was the only Canadian competitor in the women’s short program. She finished the day in 17th position with a score of 59.65 after skating a strong program, but with a few technical difficulties.

“It was amazing skating in front of a Canadian audience, but it wasn’t the skate, nor the score that I was hoping for,” said Schizas who finished 13th at the 2023 World Championships. “I’ve skated clean short programs for weeks, so there was no reason that should have happened today, but it did. I was maybe a little bit too excited – I was quite nervous, but I’m just going to take this as a learning experience for the free.”

Loena Hendrickx of Belgium, last year’s bronze medallist, leads the women heading into the free program on Friday with a new personal best score of 76.98. Isabeau Levito of the USA sits second with 73.73 – another personal best score, and Haein Lee of South Korea, last year’s silver medallist, sits in third with a score of 73.55.

The men’s short program starts day two of the competition at the World Championships on Thursday, followed by the pair free skate. Friday will see the beginning of the ice dance competition, followed by the women’s free program. The competition will wrap up on Saturday with the free dance portion of the ice dance competition, and the men’s free skate.

For full results please click here

New, Defending, and Returning Champions Crowned on Final Day of 2024 Canadian National Skating Championships

/by

Calgary, AB (January 13, 2024) – The final day of competition at the 2024 Canadian National Skating Championships taking place at the WinSport Arena in Calgary, Alta., saw two new senior champions crowned, defending champions retain their title, and former champions reclaim their title.

Canada has a new senior women’s national champion after Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary, Alta., delighted her hometown family and friends with a new personal best free skate and the best free skate of the day to win gold with an overall score of 180.86. Ruiter dethroned Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., who was looking for her third-straight national title, but who had a tough skate today and finished the free program ranked third. Schizas had to settle for the silver medal (172.90), while Hetty Shi of Mississauga, Ont., last year’s junior national champion, claimed the bronze medal (162.51).

“That was one of the most special performances I’ve ever had in my life, and to be able to share that with my family and friends and everyone I love, is just surreal,” said Ruiter who will be representing Canada at the Youth Olympic Games in Korea at the end of the month. “I just wanted to enjoy the moment. I love this program so much and I just wanted to share that with the audience.”

Former champions reclaimed their senior national titles in the ice dance competition. Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto, Ont., who missed last year’s championships while Gilles recovered from surgery, won their third senior Canadian title with a new personal best free skate (136.17) and a new personal best overall score of 222.95.

“Paul and I really skated like champions today. We stepped out onto the ice and remembered who we were, and why we’re here, and used this as a stepping stone for worlds. We want to be on the top of that podium, so we have to start acting like those champions and I think we really did that today,” said Gilles.

Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac of Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, Que., claimed the silver medal, also with a new personal best free skate (122.50) and personal best overall score (200.50), as did the bronze medallists – Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que., and Paul Ayer of Brossard, Que., whose free skate score (117.86) and overall score (195.61) were both personal bests as well.

The only skaters to defend their senior national title at these Championships were Deanna Stellato-Dudek of Chicago, USA and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., who won gold in the pair competition, and their second-straight national title with an overall score of 205.79. Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Brantford, Ont., took the silver medal (193.14), while Kelly Ann Laurin of St-Jérôme, Que., and Loucas Éthier of St-Alphonse, Que., captured bronze with a huge new personal best free skate (125.19) and overall score (187.40).

“We’re happy that we were able to come back from that bad performance yesterday and show the work that we’ve been doing on our throws. I was not going to back down from those after what happened yesterday,” said Stellato-Dudek who had an uncharacteristic fall on a throw in yesterday’s short program. “We are our own biggest competitors. All we have to do is our own job and I know what the outcome is going to be,” she added.

There was a new national champion in the men’s competition following the retirement of last year’s champion Keegan Messing – last year’s bronze medallist Wesley Chiu of Vancouver, B.C. put in another solid program to finally claim gold with a total of 232.15, almost 7 points ahead of runner up Aleksa Rakic of Burnaby, B.C. Anthony Paradis of Boisbriand, Que., almost missed the podium after his lace broke mid-program, but came back with renewed energy to win the bronze with a total score of 209.98, only a fraction of a point ahead of Conrad Orzel.

“Having Canadian Champion on my back, I can skate with more pride now, but it also comes with responsibility. Overall, I think it’s really motivating to go back and train hard,” said Chiu.

The 2024 Canadian National Skating Championships will wrap up Sunday with the exhibition gala.

Follow the action via Skate Canada’s livestream here. For full results please click here.

Bronze for Pair Skaters Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps at ISU Grand Prix Final

/by

Beijing, China (December 8, 2023) – Canadian skaters captured their first medal of the ISU Grand Prix Final on Friday with Deanna Stellato-Dudek of Chicago, USA and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., winning a bronze medal in the senior pair competition.

The pair was sitting in second following their short program on Thursday, and despite no major mistakes, some small execution errors dropped them into third in the free skate to finish the competition with bronze and an overall score of 204.30.

“We were the top team by, like, 10 points so we know this is way below expectations,” said Stellato-Dudek about their performance and the fact that they were the top-team coming into this competition. “But we are still scoring really competitively with mistakes on almost all the big elements, so if we can just clean it up, we’re know going to get higher than what we got at Skate Canada.”

Deschamps added: “After coming back from the Cup of China, we have been working on a lot of stuff and we were able to perform it today. We are so proud overall of the week and also what we wanted to make better this week.”

Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany also had some small mistakes in their program, and have been battling illness, but hung on to win the gold medal with a total score 106.43, while the Italian team of Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii had the best free skate of the day to move up to take the silver medal with a total score of 205.88

Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Brantford, Ont., who were competing in their first Grand Prix Final, finished sixth with a total score of 185.16.

“We’re proud of what we did today,” said Pereira. “Coming from a not-so-good short – we haven’t had to do that yet, we’ve been fortunate to skate good shorts in most of our competitions so far, so that was a setback mentally and I think we did a really good job recovering from that today, and wanting to continue to push ourselves and have new experiences.”

While the senior pair competition wrapped up, competition began for senior ice dance, and saw strong performances from all six teams. Piper Gilles of Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., the reigning Grand Prix Final Champions are the top Canadian team, sitting in third with a score of 85.17 for their rhythm dance.

“I think we’re pleased. We’ve made quite a few changes in the program since the Cup of China to try to boost the energy, and we’re really proud of that skate. We just enjoyed the moment,” said Gilles.

Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen of Montreal, Que., had a small touch in their side-by-side twizzles that put them in fifth with a score of 74.82, while Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of Saint-Hubert, Que., the youngest team in the competition, are sitting just behind in sixth with a score of 74.74.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the USA are sitting in first with a score of 89.15, while Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy sit second with a score of 85.82.

The ISU Grand Prix Final concludes Saturday with the free dance for the senior ice dance teams, and the free program for the junior pair skaters.

For full results please click here

Canadian Pair Teams Shine on Opening Day of the ISU Grand Prix Final

/by

Beijing, China (December 7, 2023) – Deanna Stellato-Dudek of Chicago, USA and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., came into the 2023 ISU Grand Prix Final as strong favourites after an undefeated Grand Prix season, and didn’t disappoint on the first day of competition, taking second place in the senior pair short program.

Skating to the music “Oxygène”, the pair gave a dynamic performance, but were a little less than perfect on the landing of their throw triple loop, which gave the German team of Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin the opening to take top spot in the short program.

“We’ve been struggling with this short all year. We’ve never done it well in my opinion and today was no different. We had a struggle on the throw, struggle on the jump. So still a pretty good performance other than that, but you can’t have that many mistakes,” said Stellato-Dudek following the performance.

The German team leads going into the free skate on Friday with a score of 72.56. Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps scored 71.22, while the Italian team of Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii are sitting third with a score of 70.30.

Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Brantford, Ont., had a fall on their throw triple loop and are currently sitting in sixth with a score of 61.78.

In the junior pair competition, Ava Kemp and Yohnatan Elizarov of Winnipeg, Man., ended the day as the top Canadian team with a new personal best score for their short program of 57.91 to sit second behind Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia who dominated the competition to score 70.48.

“We’re a little bit disappointed in our spins, I was so disoriented in that spin with the huge stadium, but we’ve been working hard on spins, and in our practices they’ve been pretty good, but things happen,” said Elizarov. When asked about their goals for the competition, he added: “We just want to score PBs, and we got one, so we’re halfway there.”

Martina Ariano Kent of Mount Royal, Que., and Charly Laliberté-Laurent of Boucherville, Que., finished the day in third with a new personal best score as well of 55.97, while Jazmine Desrochers of Mississauga, Ont., and Kieran Thrasher of Amherstburg, Ont., sit just behind in fourth with a score of 54.91.

The ISU Grand Prix Final continues Friday with the free program for the senior pair, and the rhythm dance for the senior ice dance teams. The event concludes on Saturday with the free program for the junior pair skaters, and the senior ice dance teams.

For full results please click here.

Canadian Pair and Ice Dance Teams Golden again at Cup of China

/by

Chongqing, China (November 11, 2023) – It was a golden weekend for Canadian ice dance skaters Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier and pair skaters Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps who both won gold again at the ISU Grand Prix Cup of China that wrapped up Saturday in Chongqing, China. Both teams also won gold at Skate Canada International in early November.

Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha also captured silver in the ice dance competition. All three teams have now qualified for the ISU Grand Prix Final which will take place in Beijing, China in early December.

Gilles of Toronto, Ont., and Poirier of Unionville, Ont., were sitting in second behind Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Lagha of Saint-Hubert, Que., after the rhythm dance on Friday, but rebounded on Saturday with a strong free dance to score 126.79 points for a total of 207.83 points to win the gold.

“It was an interesting week here,” said Gilles. “The rhythm dance didn’t go as planned which was costly, but I think what we were really going for was stronger energy and a stronger performance – I think I got a little carried away with that and mistakes happened, but I think we’re really proud of what we did overall. There is still more we can do technically to prepare for Beijing but we’re really happy.”

Lajoie and Lagha set new personal best scores for both their rhythm and free skates to total 206.02 points – winning their second silver medal on the ISU Grand Prix circuit this season. Caroline Green and Michael Parsons of the USA took the bronze with a total score of 189.33.

“It was a great week for us,” said Lajoie. “The rhythm dance was pretty amazing, we were very, very happy. The free dance was a bit more challenging but we’re happy with how we handled it. Overall, it was a very good week for us.”

Stellato-Dudek of Chicago, USA and Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., battled through fatigue to win their third straight gold medal of the season in the pair competition with a total score of 201.48. Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini of Italy captured silver (191.00), while Cheng Peng and Lei Wang of China took bronze (178.06).

“It’s been a long three weeks, and everything was a fight today. This week was to test our mental and physical strength since I knew it was going to be difficult, and it was,” laughed Stellato-Dudek following the competition.

Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., finished fifth in the women’s competition with a total score of 179.58. Hana Yoshida and Rinka Watanabe of Japan had a battle for gold with Yoshida taking the win after she set a new personal best score in the free skate to take the win by just 0.75 points. Her final total score was 203.97 to Watanabe’s 203.22. Loena Hendrickx of Belgium was in the lead after the short program but fell to third after her free program to end the day with a total score of 201.49.

Next up for Canadian skaters on the ISU Grand Prix circuit is the Grand Prix Espoo taking place in Espoo, Finland from November 17-19, 2023.

For full results please click here: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2324/gpchn2023/

Gold for Canadian Pair and Ice Dance Team at Skate Canada International

/by

Vancouver, Canada (October 28, 2023) – Deanna Stellato-Dudek of Chicago, USA and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., showed that they are well on the path towards their goal of standing on the podium at the World Championships in Montreal next spring with a commanding free skate that earned them the gold medal in the pair competition at 2023 Skate Canada International.

Piper Gilles of Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., also retained their Skate Canada International title for the fourth year in a row with a beautiful performance in the free dance to win gold in ice dance.

Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps scored a personal best of 142.34 in their free skate to the theme from “Interview with a Vampire” to win gold by 27 points (214.64 total score) over the Hungarian team of Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko who took silver (187.78). The Italian team of Lucrezia Beccari and Matteo Guarise captured bronze (181.42).

“I’m very happy with today’s performance which is a rarity for me,” laughed Stellato-Dudek following their performance. “It’s still early in the season, but we’ve been waiting for a performance like this for years. We were sick of it last year and never skating even close to a clean long program, so we worked really hard to be able to put this out today.”

Kelly Ann Laurin of St-Jérôme, Que., and Loucas Éthier of Deux-Montagnes, Que., improved on their short program performance where they were sitting in seventh, to finish the competition in fifth overall with a total score of 168.12. Brooke McIntosh of Toronto, Ont., and Benjamin Mimar of Terrebonne, Que., finished sixth overall with a total score of 166.00.

Gilles and Poirier performed a moving free dance to music from “Wuthering Heights” to win their first gold of the season with a total score of 219.01. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain and Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius of Lithuania retained their positions from the rhythm dance to capture silver (209.55) and bronze (192.01) respectively.

“This has been such a successful competition for us,” said Poirier. “We’ve been able to debut both of our new programs which has been really exciting just to put them out there in the world. We’re proud of how we skated and contained our nerves, and we’re both really looking forward to improving on both of these skates as we go through the season.”

Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que. and Paul Ayer of Brossard, Que. finished seventh with a score of 173.34, while Molly Lanaghan of Doncaster, GB and Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont. placed ninth.

Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., bounced back from her disappointing short program on Friday with a flawless free skate in the women’s competition that gave her the second highest score of the day, which saw her move her up from eighth to fourth overall with a total score of 189.91.

“I’m feeling really good. I was very disappointed after my short yesterday, but I was able to pull it together in the free to put up a really big score which is what I was really looking for. I know I can skate a good short, but sometimes the free gets away from me so I was really happy,” said Schizas whose free skate score of 132.47 is a new personal best and season’s best.

Kaori Sakamoto, the reigning world champion, continued her dominance in the free skate to win the gold with a total score of 226.13. Chaeyeon Kim of Korea took the silver with an overall score of 201.15, and Rino Matsuike of Japan took bronze with an overall score of 198.62. Senior Grand Prix rookies Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary, Alta., and Sara-Maude Dupuis of Montreal, Que., finished the competition 10th (155.44) and 11th (151.95) respectively.

The men’s competition saw Wesley Chiu of Vancouver, B.C., take the title of the top Canadian as he finished in seventh position with a total score of 221.54. Toronto’s Conrad Orzel finished 10th with a total score of 213.12, and Aleksa Rakic of Burnaby, B.C., finished 12th with a total score of 189.38.

It was a close fight for the gold, with Sota Yamamoto of Japan squeaking through to take the gold with an overall score of 258.42 – just ahead of his teammate Kao Miura who took silver with an overall score of 257.89. Matteo Rizzo of Italy captured bronze with a total score of 246.01 after an inspired performance that saw him move up to the podium from eighth after the short program.

Next up for Canadian skaters is the Grand Prix de France taking place in Angers, France from November 3-5, 2023. For full results, please click here.

Canadian Skaters Win Four Medals on Second Day of Autumn Classic International

/by

Pierrefonds, Quebec (September 15, 2023) – Canadian skaters had an amazing day on Friday at the 2023 Autumn Classic International taking place in Pierrefonds, Que., finishing the day with four medals – 1 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze from the pair and women’s events.

Deanna Stellato-Dudek, 40, of Chicago, USA and Maxime Deschamps, 31, of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., debuted their new free skate to music from “Interview with a Vampire” and were very happy with their score of 131.82 which combined with their first-place score from their short program, earned them a total score of 203.62 to win gold in the pair competition.

“It was the first time we came out with that program so we’re happy with it overall. We have stuff we still need to work on, but overall, we were able to pass the 200-point mark and that was a big goal we set this year and now that’s already done!” said Deschamps following the competition.

Fellow Canadian pair skaters Emmanuelle Proft, 21, of Ottawa, Ont., and Nicolas Nadeau, 25, of Boisbriand, Que., who were competing in their first international competition as a pair, also had a strong free skate, despite a couple of errors, that saw them mount the podium to take the bronze medal with a total score of 165.39.

“Honestly, I’m a bit disappointed in myself as I would have really liked to have done the triple loop side-by-side, but aside from that, I’m happy with our performance. I stayed in the character, and in the choreography, and the solo and I’m really happy about that and I’m even more happy that I get to come home with a medal on home ice,” said Proft.

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan, the 2023 World Pair Champions who live and train in Oakville, Ont., captured the silver medal with a total score of 188.05.

In the women’s competition, two-time World Champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan was unstoppable, winning the gold with a total score of 203.20. Kaiya Ruiter, 17, of Calgary, Alta., improved from her fourth-place finish in the short program to finish second in the free skate, garnering her the silver medal with a score of 172.68.

“It was a fight for sure, but it felt like a good fight,” said Ruiter who was competing in her first international competition this season. “It felt like a good performance, and I’m very excited to take some things that I’ve been working on and put them towards the next performance this season.”

Justine Miclette, 17, of Chambly, Que., rounded out the podium, bringing home the bronze medal with a total score of 169.24.

“I’m pretty happy, I was going out there to have some fun, and I had some fun. The crowd was even bigger than yesterday so that was fantastic. I really felt their energy and it helped me keep going when I was tired at the end. It was an incredible experience,” said Miclette.

The men’s event started today with the short program, and Canadians Stephen Gogolev of Toronto, and Wesley Chiu of Vancouver finished the day sitting in the silver and bronze positions respectively behind Ilia Malinin of the USA. Their competition will wrap up Saturday with the free skate.

After the rhythm dance, Sandrine Gauthier of Saint-Constant, Que., and Quentin Thieren of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., are sitting in sixth, while Alyssa Robinson of Ridgetown, Ont., and Jacob Portz of Calgary, Alta., are sitting 9th. The ice dance competition will wrap up Saturday with the free dance.

For full results click here

Quebec-based Pair Dominate Opening Night of 2023 Autumn Classic International

/by

Pierrefonds, Quebec (September 14, 2023) – 2023 Canadian pair champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek of Chicago, USA and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorian, Que., dominated the first night of competition on Thursday at the 2023 Autumn Classic International taking place in Pierrefonds, Que., finishing their short program more than 12 points ahead of the reigning world champions from Japan with a score of 71.90.

“We were coming here just to show off what we worked on this summer, and we’re proud and happy to have been able to deliver a performance like this after all of the work we did this summer,” said Deschamps following the competition.

Stellato-Dudek added: “We really focussed this summer on adding speed and power. We made some new lift positions, more signature to us, and we’re really looking forward to showing those – we did one of them today. We have really unique programs and program choices, and we’re really excited to debut our ‘Interview with the Vampire’ program tomorrow.”

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan, the 2023 World Pair Champions who live and train in Oakville, Ont., sit second with a score of 59.13, while Emmanuelle Proft of Ottawa, Ont., and her partner Nicolas Nadeau of Boisbriand, Que., are sitting in third with a score of 58.44. Caidence Derenisky and Raine Eberl of Regina, Sask., are sitting fifth with a score of 52.76.

Justine Miclette of Chambly, Que., had the top Canadian performance in the women’s event with her short program scoring a 59.45 to put her in third at the end of the evening.

“It was a pretty good skate, I was supposed to do the triple flip-triple toe, but I wasn’t feeling super good on the triple toe, so I did a double instead, and I was just trying to do a clean program all the way through because of that,” said Miclette who recently placed 11th at the 2023 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. “My goal here was to enjoy every moment and so I think I nailed that on the short program.”

Kaiya Ruiter of Calgary, Alta., sits just behind Miclette in fourth with a score of 58.87.

Two-time women’s World Champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan sits in first with a score of 75.62, while Audrey Shin of the USA sits second with a score of 60.07.

Friday will see the women’s and pair competitions wrap-up with their free skates, while the men will skate their short program, and the dance competition will begin with the rhythm dance. The event will wrap up Saturday with the men’s free skate and the free dance.

For full results please visit: https://skatecanada.ca/results/23aci/cscan2023/

Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier to Lead Team Canada at 2023 ISU World Team Trophy

/by

OTTAWA, ON (April 6, 2023) – Eight skaters across all four disciplines will represent Canada at the 2023 ISU World Team Trophy in Tokyo, Japan from April 13 to 16, 2023. The event, which will mark the last competition of the 2022-2023 figure skating season, is reserved for the top six nations who compete in a team format with points awarded based on skaters’ placement. 

Team Canada will be led by 2023 world bronze medalists and 2022 Grand Prix Final winners Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, who will be looking for a fourth consecutive podium finish this season. They will be joined by pair national champions and Grand Prix de France gold medalists Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, who are coming off a 4th place finish at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.  

In the singles events, two-time Olympian and 2023 national champion Keegan Messing will be competing in the last competition of his illustrious career. Stephen Gogolev, 2019 Junior Grand Prix Final champion and 4th at the 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, will also be representing Canada in the men’s event. The women’s field will feature two-time national champion and Olympian Madeline Schizas, as well as 2023 Skate Canada Challenge bronze medalist Sara-Maude Dupuis.  

The competition starts on Thursday, April 13, with rhythm dance and the men’s and women’s short programs. Friday will feature the pair short program, the free dance, and the women’s free program. Competition ends on Saturday, April 15, with the pair and men’s free programs. The Gala Exhibition will take place on Sunday. 

Team Canada 

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location 

Men 

Stephen Gogolev | 18 | Toronto, Ont. | Rafael Arutyunyan & Lee Barkell | Irvine, USA
Keegan Messing | 31 | Girdwood, USA | Ralph Burghart | Anchorage, USA 

Women 

Sara-Maude Dupuis | 17 | Montreal, Que. | Stéphane Yvars & Françoise Parisé | Boucherville, Que.
Madeline Schizas | 19 | Oakville, Ont. | Nancy Lemaire & Derek Schmidt | Milton, Ont.    

Pair 

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

Ice Dance 

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

For more information about the event, click here.  

Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps Continue Dream Season with Fourth at ISU World Figure Skating Championships®

/by

SAITAMA, Japan (March 23, 2023) – Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., continued a strong season Thursday placing fourth in pairs at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships®.

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan won the gold medal with 222.16, edging out defending champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the U.S. who won the free skate but finished second overall with 217.48. Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii of Italy were third at 208.08. Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps, in their second season together, remained fourth at 199.97, a personal best international score. The duo won four international medals this season including two gold as well as their first national title.

‘’It’s all learning,’’ said Deschamps. ‘’There were some nerves and it was our first time at Worlds as well. The whole season was the highlight for us.’’

First-year partners Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont., produced the fourth best free skate but remained sixth overall with a personal best 193.00. Brooke McIntosh and Benjamin Mimar of Toronto, Ont., were 11th with 181.95. McIntosh and Mimar, world junior bronze medalists last year, also had personal bests right across the board.

In the men’s competition, Canada’s Keegan Messing is in the medal hunt after producing a clean skate and ranking fourth for his short program with a personal best international score 98.75. Defending champion Shoma Uno of Japan leads with 104.63, Ilia Malinin of the U.S. is second at 100.38 and Junhwan Cha of South Korea third at 99.64.

Messing, competing at his sixth worlds, has announced this is his final season.

‘’To pull out this performance on this stage is what I’ve been looking for all year,’’ said Messing, whose previous best at worlds is sixth in 2021. ‘’I was a little scared going in on how much I felt I did have this. I wasn’t feeling nervous, I was feeling free and everything was lining up. But I was able to reign myself in and keep myself at a constant level.’’

Conrad Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., ranked 26th and will not advance to the free skate.

Competition continues Friday with the rhythm dance and the women’s free skate. The event is available for Canadian viewers on the CBC Sports website. For full results, click here.