Boston – Approximately one year ago, when she was 40 years old, Deanna Stellato-Dudek faced an incident. became the eldest competitor to claim victory in an Olympic or world figure skating championship When she and her pair partner, Maxime Deschamps, claimed the pairs world championship.
The occasion sparked significant jubilation within the figure skating community, particularly due to its occurrence in Montreal. This was where Stellato-Dudek relocated following her return to competitive skating many years post-adolescence when she initially stepped away from the sport. In Montreal, she discovered an ideal skating companion in Deschamps, who happened to be eight years her junior. At this time, she was diligently working through the steps of applying for Canadian citizenship and together with Deschamps, they were set on securing a spot on the podium at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
Stellato-Dudek amazed everybody back then, gliding over the ice and spinning gracefully above the rink as Deschamps held his hand aloft—an impressive feat for someone who should have retired from competitive skating long before reaching such an advanced age.
She mentioned that her motivation was to someday "reach 80 years old, sipping wine during dinner and reflecting, 'You know, I decided to return to skating and gave it a try.'"
The Olympic medal no longer seemed like a dream; it was an expectation.
Everyone kept saying, “Next year is going to be much tougher.” Yet up till this week, she had no idea of the extent of it.
Although they secured victory in three events during the recent season, which included winning the Canadian championships, the last several months have been challenging due to persistent injuries, fluctuating performance, and instances of bad luck like the severe fever that led Deschamps to withdraw from the Grand Prix finals in December.
Nevertheless, they arrived with aspirations for another world championship title, but things began to unravel once more during Wednesday’s short program.
It began when Stellato-Dudek discovered that she had forgotten her glittering, sequined figure-skating gown at the hotel. Such oversights were common for her; Deschamps habitually inquires whether she has packed her dress, almost out of ritual since she frequently forgets. However, on Wednesday, he neglected to check, and only upon starting her warm-up did Stellato-Dudek become aware of her error.
Luckily, since they were the defending champions, she and Deschamps didn't have to take the ice for longer than an hour. When people became aware of the situation, a group of mutual friends hurriedly made their way to her room. They located the dress and passed it along in a chain until it was handed over just moments before she and Deschamps were due to hit the ice at TD Garden.
"I'm pleased I recalled when I was stretching; otherwise, I'd be in my jogging pants," Stellato-Dudek stated.
The doubt about whether her dress would arrive in time created an additional sense of worry.
"I hope it gets here on time because I'll look silly skating in sweatpants," she said, continually worrying about it.
Stellato-Dudek, having finished dressing, watched as Deschamps stepped onto the ice. She performed without making any major mistakes, yet also failed to impress with particularly outstanding moves. During a jump sequence, she barely touched down on the edge of her skate. In another part, where she executed a spin, she faltered ever so slightly. There was an instance when she descended too quickly after being released from Deschamps’s grasp. Despite these minor errors, she maintained a smile throughout, feigning nonchalance despite seeing their cumulative score diminish with every mistake.
They ended their performance with a score of 67.32, placing them at seventh position, roughly 10 points short of the leading pair, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara from Japan. Dejectedly, they skated off the ice. Securing a medal, let alone defending their championship title, now seems highly improbable.
Occasionally you emerge victorious; occasionally you gain insights," Stellato-Dudek stated. "Everything appeared askew.
However, since competing professionally as a figure skater at 41 is more challenging than doing so at 40, Stellato-Dudek sees no reason to call it quits. Her Olympic aspirations remain as strong as ever from the previous year. In December, she successfully obtained her Canadian citizenship. So why would she want to halt now?
"It's just under a year from now," she stated.
I've been involved in pairs skating for nearly a decade now, so no, I'm completely dedicated and prepared to continue," she went on. "Plus, we have numerous excellent concepts for the upcoming season.