Canadian pair figure skaters Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps secured their consecutive victory at the Skate Canada International held in Saskatoon on Saturday night. The duo thrilled the home crowd at SaskTel Centre by clinching the gold medal, surpassing their German competitors Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin. Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps accumulated a total of 213.40 points, while Hase and Volodin scored 207.18.
In the pairs competition, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea from the United States finished third with a score of 199.11 points. Despite trailing the Germans by 4.50 points after the short program on Friday, the Canadian pair delivered an exceptional free skate performance, earning 140.37 points.
Hase and Volodin, the reigning Grand Prix Final champions and world silver medalists, faced challenges during their free skate, with both experiencing falls on their jumps. Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud of Canada secured the fourth position with 186.54 points, followed by Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier with 168.24 points.
This victory marks the first Grand Prix win of the season for the 2024 world champions Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps, who previously claimed silver at the Grand Prix of France. Stellato-Dudek expressed their joy at the win, highlighting the continuous strive for improvement and preparation for upcoming events leading to the Olympics.
In the women’s competition, Mone Chiba from Japan emerged victorious, outperforming American standout Isabeau Levito with a nearly flawless free skate. Chiba, the 20-year-old world bronze medalist, showcased a remarkable performance set to “Csardas,” securing a season-best score of 217.23 points and claiming her first Grand Prix gold medal.
The ice dance event saw Canadian stars Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier leading after the rhythm dance, scoring 85.38 points. They are aiming for their sixth consecutive Skate Canada title. Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha of Canada, the silver medalists from the previous year, currently hold the fourth position.
American world champion Ilia Malinin dominated the men’s competition with a commanding lead of 104.84 points in the short program, followed by Kazuki Tomono from Japan and Aleksandr Selevko from Estonia. Toronto’s Stephen Gogolev leads the Canadian contingent in seventh place.
The competition continues with the men’s free skate scheduled for Sunday, with live coverage available for fans to follow the action.
