Gilles/Poirier, Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps chase Canadian titles with eyes on podium at home Worlds – Preview
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier seek a third national title in ice dance, while their pairs counterparts are after a second in a row. Madeline Schizas leads the women’s field in Calgary.
Figure Skating
It’s a big final three months of the season for Canadian figure skaters.
Calgary plays host to the Canadian Championships this weekend (12-14 January), with Montreal set to put on the ISU World Championships in late March four years after the event was due to take place there only to be cancelled by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Two-time world medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier look to add a third to their world CV – the same number of national title they’ll seek at the WinSport Arena this week.
Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps are favoured in the pairs field for a second consecutive national title before they’ll seek a first world podium after finishing in fourth at Worlds in 2023. Worlds is set to have a uniquely special meaning for the duo, with Deschamps having grown up in Montreal, now their training base.
Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps won't have it easy: The pairs team Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud have continued their success this year after teaming up just last season, qualifying for last month's Grand Prix Final.
In singles, Madeline Schizas will look to go three in a row, while the men’s field could be wide open, featuring 2020 champion Roman Sadovksy and 2023 runner-up Conrad Orzel, among others.
See a full preview of the action and the schedule of events, as well as where you can tune into the action.
Gilles/Poirier and what else to watch for in Calgary
Skating on their own terms this season after Gilles fought stage 1 pancreatic cancer earlier this year, Gilles/Poirier appear refreshed – and ready to claim back their national title.
“I think we're in the era of, ‘Whatever Piper and Paul Want,’” an upbeat Gilles told Olympics.com earlier this season. The team swept their two Grand Prix stops – in Canada and China – then claimed bronze at the GP Final behind the two teams that beat them at last year’s Worlds, too.
Gilles/Poirier will be without chief competitors in Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Sørensen - the reigning national champs - and Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, both duos withdrawing from the event prior to it getting underway.
It’s no clear-cut road to gold for Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps, either, who had some bumps in the first half of the season after registering a career-best free skate (142.39) and overall score (214.64) at Skate Canada in October.
Pereira/Michaud have fully committed themselves to pairs after she split her time with singles last season. They won silver (Skate America) and gold (Grand Prix de France) during their GP swing.
Schizas should be favoured in the women’s event, though 17-year-old Kaya Ruiter has shown flashes of brilliant skating, including when she was runner-up at this event a year ago.
For the men, the title appears up for grabs with two-time and reigning champion Keegan Messing retiring at the end of last year. Orzel and Sadovsky will lead the way, though Wesley Chiu and Stephen Gogolev are capable of putting up strong programs – but can they do it back-to-back nights?
Canadian Figure Skating Championships 2024: Schedule
The Canadian Championships are set for WinSport Arena in Calgary, Alberta. All times listed are local Mountain Time (GMT -7).
Friday, 12 January
10:40 – Women’s short program
13:25 – Ice dance rhythm dance
16:40 – Pairs short program
19:05 – Men’s short program
Saturday, 13 January
10:00 – Women’s free skate
13:15 – Ice dance free dance
16:25 – Pairs free skate
18:40 – Men’s free skate
Sunday, 14 January
14:00 – Exhibition gala
2024 Canadian Figure Skating Championships: How to watch
Skate Canada will provide a livestream of the action on its website, which may be geo-blocked for certain locations.