In the Figure Skating World Championships, Finland saw a historic success on the night between Thursday and Friday, when after a 16-year break from competition, Deanna Stellato-Dudek took the pair skating World Cup gold together with his partner by Maxime Deschamps with. The victory came with a total score of 221.56.
Stellato-Dudek is now the oldest woman to have won a world championship in the sport.
The championship in question was also Canada’s first gold in eight years.
Defending world champions Japan Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara took silver (217.88). Bronze medals went to a German couple Minerva to Fabienne Hase/To Nikita Volodin (210.40).
40-year-old Canadian figure skater said after the race that he was sick and didn’t know how to survive the free program, because according to him, the training had gone badly.
– I want to thank my coaches and my partner because they told me that if I’m going to do this, I’m going to go on the ice and leave everything there.
Deschamps felt nothing but pride at the end of the pair’s program.
– Deanna was sick earlier today and our training period was difficult. He is a warrior, Deschamps praised his partner.
Stellato-Dudek says he never thought that when he returned, he could still fulfill his dream of being a world champion.
Stellato-Dudek said earlier for the Olympics, that he hadn’t followed figure skating competitions for a long time. According to the Canadian, he had such a stormy relationship with the sport that he didn’t want to have much to do with it.
– Now that I’m back as an older person, I feel much more like I’m a lifelong figure skater.
According to Ilta-Sanom the Canadian ended his figure skating career at the age of 17. Before that, he won the individual World Championship silver in the Juniors before a severe hip problem forced him to end his career.
Single skating has now changed to pair skating and Stellato-Dudek is world champion against all expectations.
– I am the oldest winner of all time, but I wear it proudly.
In the decisive free program, the pair collected 144.35 points. Earlier in the short program competition, the pair skated their new record score of 77.48.
The competitions were held on the winners’ home ice at the Bell Center in Canada. The NHL team Montreal Canadiens plays its matches in that arena.
– I’ve been watching ice hockey games at the Bell Center since I was little and now I’m on the ice, Deschamps happily told the Olympics.
Stellato-Dudek hopes that what she’s doing will encourage people not to quit before they reach their potential, and hopes it will spread to other fields as well.
– Not only in sports, but also in other areas of life, such as working life and professional career.
The Canadian couple has set their sights on the 2026 Olympics.
In Olympic figure skating, the oldest winners of all time are Finns, when Ludowika Jakobsson35, her husband by Walter Jakobsson38, with achieved Olympic gold in the 1920 Games in Antwerp, Belgium.
Finnish couple 18s
Finnish figure skating couple Milania Väänänen20, and Filippo Clerici23, finally finished 18th in the pair skating free program with a total score of 156.02.
– Right after the World Championships, I will travel to Finland to check my back, so that we know what is wrong and how we can work together again to the fullest, 20-year-old Väänänen told the Finnish Figure Skating Federation right after the free program performance.
The 23-year-old Clerici was satisfied after a couple of free programs.
– I am happy, because we succeeded in our common goal of also reaching the finals in the World Championships, even though we were not able to give our 100% contribution. But this competition was a good demonstration of our skills, and I think we also made a good impression on the jury, which is also important for a newlywed couple.
The World Figure Skating competitions continue on Friday with the ice dance rhythm dance, which starts at 17:20 Finnish time. They are from Finland Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis mixed Yuka Orihara and Juho Pirinen. The women’s free program is skated on the night between Friday and Saturday, Finland is included Nella Pelkonen.
at 17:15 Figure Skating World Cup: Ice dance rhythm dance, Areena.
at 23:55 Figure Skating World Cup: Women’s free program, Areena.
Story edited 23.3 at 11:18. The venue of the 1920 Olympics was changed to Antwerp.