Just over a year into partnership, Canadian duo Pereira/Michaud driven by endless 'golden retriever' energy

In October of 2022, Lia Pereira was still learning the intricacies of how pairs figure skating is scored on the international circuit.

Just over a year later, she and partner Trennt Michaud were ISU Grand Prix champions knocking on the door of some of the best teams in the world.

"There's just something special for us," Michaud told Olympics.com recently. "And I said that to Lia as soon as we started skating together."

Having "dabbled" in pairs as a junior, Pereira instead chose singles, making her way to the World Junior Championships in 2022 and placing fifth at Canadian nationals in 2023 as a senior.

But by January a year ago, Pereira had already accepted a call from Michaud "out of nowhere," she said: "I told him I'd see what I remembered about pairs [and]... we kind of kept going from there. It just kept being, 'See you tomorrow.'"

"We're still on a trial period," joked Michaud.

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Pereira/Michaud: 'It doesn't really feel like a job'

That "trial period" has turned Pereira/Michaud into a top-level team, first with a bronze medal at the Canadian Championships - where, yes, Lia double-dipped in the singles event - before storming to sixth place at the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, Japan.

They arrived into the 2023-24 season even stronger, first claiming silver at Skate America before capturing the Grand Prix de France gold medal just a few weeks later. They'd qualify for the elite Grand Prix Final in December, finishing sixth.

"I love to skate, and I think that's one of the things that we bonded over most as a team - our love for the sport," said Pereira, who is still just 19. "As much as it's a job, we don't really feel like it's a job. We had a couple of people ask us why we were laughing at practice, and we just keep things fun and have a lot of jokes. And so I think that's the major thing that's gelled us together is just a passion for the sport, but also our humor."

"I'm really excited for the future of us."

The immediate future includes this weekend's (12 and 13 January) Canadian nationals, where they'll push reigning champs Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps for gold, with the coming World Championships set for Montreal in late March.

"We've both had our own path to get to where we are," said Michaud. "That is the reason why we have been able to connect so quickly and gel so well."

Michaud said he credits their two head coaches - Alison Purkiss and Nancy Lemaire - for their synchronicity: "They've really helped us over the years become who we are," he said. "I think that's a big part of why we've gelled so well."

So, what's this about a golden retriever?

That aforementioned humour, light-heartedness and endless energy has earned them a dual nickname: "We're referred to as golden retrievers at the rink because we both just run around with our positive energy," Michaud said, the two of them laughing.

But that energy isn't unfocused: Michaud was an established pair skater with previous partner Evelyn Walsh, but teaming up with Pereira has brought out something unique in both of them. And also allowed them to dream bigger - including for the coming Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

"We definitely have big goals for ourselves, both internal and external," Michaud said. Added Pereira: "Rather than focusing on a big shiny gold medal, we're just focusing on doing things one step at a time and what works for us. We still have an experimental mindset [right now], we're testing the waters.

"There's lots of internal things that we have been working on and that we focus on. And then normally the external just pops up on the side."

A side of Olympic motivation? Pereira/Michaud are realistic around that, too - it's a massive driving force.

"The Olympics is a big goal for us," Michaud said. "That was a conversation right from when we started skating together. That's our end goal: To be there together. The coaching staff have laid out what we need to do and we're just... along for the ride."

"I actually think having this goal of the Olympics, in two and a half years helps us at these events too, because eventually that's where we want to be, and that's where we want to be our best," Pereira said, pulling the lens back to see the big picture.

"That's where we're still going to peak at the right moment. We're still gaining knowledge and learning things as we compete, but it takes the pressure off each individual events because we're trying to add them all up so that we can get to that big moment. It's a huge goal for us and we're on the path. We're very excited to see that hopefully happen."