After a decade away from the ice, 42-year-old Deanna Stellato-Dudek has finally made her Olympic appearance in figure skating.
The Canadian duo successfully advanced to the final free programs, despite experiencing a serious fall during the short program when Stellato-Dudek seemed to trip over partner Maxime Deschamps’ skate while descending from a lift.
Currently, Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps occupy the 14th position in the pairs individual competition, having scored 66.04 points in the short program, which is roughly eight points shy of their season’s best, while performing to Carmina Burana by Carl Orff.
Germany’s Minerva Fabienne and Nikita Volodin are leading the competition for the gold medal, with Georgia’s Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava in second place.
Following a personal record performance, Canada’s Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud stand in third as they head into the free program finals on Monday.
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An Olympic debut that almost wasn’t
Stellato-Dudek has become the oldest figure skater to participate in the Olympics in nearly a century.
However, her aspiration to compete at the Olympics was in jeopardy after she sustained a head injury during practice on January 30, which led the duo to withdraw from the team competition last week.
Stellato-Dudek described her recovery from what she labeled a “nightmare” experience as “remarkable,” with the pair confirming their participation in Sunday’s individual event on Thursday.
Stellato-Dudek mentioned that they were both “very nervous” arriving at the Olympics later than other teams, yet they felt “really happy” with how their routine was progressing until the lift, which she indicated cost them approximately 10 points.
WATCH | Stellato-Dudek falls after lift with Deschamps in short program:
“It’s very disappointing for us because that’s something we typically excel at, and where we usually gain points, not lose them. So that was unexpected and unfortunate,” Stellato-Dudek shared with CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux.
“I’m still glad to be here, of course, and I’m proud to represent the 40-year-olds.”
Originally from Chicago, IL., Stellato-Dudek was a silver medalist at the 2000 world junior championships but had to retire due to injury. She made her comeback to skating in 2016 with aspirations of competing in the Olympics and formed a partnership with Deschamps in 2019.
The duo currently ranks fifth in the world and are the reigning world champions of 2023.
Pereira, Michaud sit in podium position
After placing fifth in the team event last week, Pereira and Michaud achieved a personal-best score of 74.60 in the individual pairs event short program on Sunday.
“Following the team event, we felt satisfied with our short program, having overcome numerous obstacles from previous competitions, but we still aimed for more,” Pereira told Heroux.
“I don’t think we could have performed any better, so it’s truly rewarding to have executed that today.”
Skating to Say You Love Me by Jessie Ware, Benjamin Ash, Benny Blanco, and Ed Sheeran, the pair delivered a flawless performance that brought tears to their families in the audience.
“It means a great deal to have our family and friends here,” Michaud expressed. “We can’t thank everyone who has been part of this journey enough.”
WATCH | Pereira and Michaud set personal best in short program:
Their score propelled them to the top of the leaderboard, where they held the position for multiple pairs before ultimately finishing in third place after the short programs.
Pereira and Michaud have been partners since 2022, and this is their first Olympic experience at Milano-Cortina. They are also the 2026 Canadian National Champions, having outperformed Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps last month.
“This entire process has made me feel that Canada truly supports all our athletes, which is fantastic,” Michaud stated.
German pair remain gold favorites
Leading the competition, the German pair of Fabienne Hase and Volodin, currently ranked number one globally, achieved a personal best of 80.01 in the short program, performing to El Abrazo by Maxime Rodriguez, to take the lead.
This marks Hase’s second Olympic appearance, having placed 16th at the Beijing 2022 Games with her previous partner Nolon Seegert.
Minerva Fabienne Hase, top, and partner Nikita Volodin of Germany currently sit in first after competing in the pairs short program at Milano Cortina 2026 on Sunday. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Entering the pairs event as gold medal favorites, Japan’s Miura and Kihara are presently in fifth place, having scored 73.11 in their short program to Paint it Black.
Training in Oakville, Ontario, the pair, coached by Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Meagan Duhamel, encountered a minor issue during their lift when Miura slipped, resulting in an early descent onto Kihara.
Miura and Kihara hold the titles of reigning world and Grand Prix Finals Champions and aim to surpass their seventh place finish from Beijing 2022 in their second Olympic outing.
Chinese skaters Wenjing Sui and Cong Han, referred to by CBC commentators as being in “the twilight of their careers,” were the second team to take the ice during the pairs qualifiers, finishing with a score of 72.66 in the short program and currently placing sixth.
Sui nearly fell during the first jump of their routine, but they successfully completed the remainder of their performance without any issues.
The defending Olympic gold medalists from Beijing 2022 had announced their retirement after the Games but returned for the 2025/2026 season.