Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, the reigning 2024 world champions from Canada, placed sixth in the pairs event at the Grand Prix Final on Friday following an unsteady free skate performance.
The duo, who had previously secured two Grand Prix medals and claimed bronze in the 2023 Final, accumulated a total of 194.36 points, marred by a fall during their free program.
The title was clinched by Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara with a total score of 225.21, leading Italy’s Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii (223.28) and Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin (221.25).
Reflecting on their performance, Deschamps stated, “We don’t know what happened, we felt prepared. We’ll take a week off to recuperate. Competing in four events in nine weeks, both of us being unwell during that time, has taken a toll. Rest is essential to recharge and approach the remaining season anew.”
The 2024 world champions from Canada, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps finished in last place following the pairs free program, at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya, Japan.
The competition showcases the top six pairs from the Grand Prix season in each figure skating discipline.
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Canadian ice dancers, will perform their free dance routine on Saturday after securing the third position in Thursday’s rhythm dance category.
In the junior ice dance category, Layla Veillon and Alexander Brandys from Canada commenced in sixth place after the rhythm dance segment on Friday at their inaugural Junior Grand Prix Final appearance.
Hana Maria Aboian and Daniil Veselukhin of the United States lead the ice dance competition, followed by Iryna Pidgaina and Artem Koval from Ukraine and Ambre Perrier Gianesini and Samuel Blanc Klaperman representing France.
Veillon expressed, “We are thrilled to be here and proud of our achievement. Qualifying was a result of our hard work. While our aim was to deliver strong performances, setbacks happen, and overcoming them is key. Looking forward, focusing on what lies ahead is our priority.”
In the junior pairs category,