Canada is in fifth place in the figure skating team event at the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games after the first day of competition. Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier achieved a season-best score of 85.79 points in their rhythm dance performance to RuPaul’s “Supermodel” at the Milano Ice Skating Arena. They expressed satisfaction with their performance but indicated a desire to push further in the individual event.
Gilles and Poirier, who have won silver at the last two world championships, are 1.06 points behind Great Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson. Trennt Michaud and Lia Pereira, replacing former world champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, secured fourth place in the pairs short program. Additionally, Madeline Schizas claimed sixth place in the women’s singles event, contributing to Canada’s total of 19 points in the standings.
Stellato-Dudek’s participation in the Olympics is uncertain due to a recent training accident in Quebec. Although she withdrew from the team event, her potential involvement in the individual pairs event on February 15-16 is still being evaluated daily.
At 42 years old, Stellato-Dudek could become the oldest female figure skater to compete at the Olympics in almost a century. Pereira mentioned that she and Michaud dedicated part of their short performance to Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps, aiming to skate well in their honor.
The United States, led by Madison Chock and Evan Bates, leads the standings with 25 points, followed by Japan and Italy. Georgia and France are also closely behind Canada in the rankings.
Schizas expressed contentment with her performance, despite scoring slightly below her season’s best. However, an under-rotation affected her final score, causing Canada to drop to fifth place in the team standings after three segments.
The team event features the men’s short program next, with the top five countries advancing to the final. Chock and Bates are favored to excel in the individual ice dance event, facing competition from the new French duo of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, the defending Olympic champion. Fournier Beaudry, a Canadian-born skater, obtained French citizenship, allowing her to compete for France in the Olympics.
