Canadian National Skating Championships: Gilles and Poirier, Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps defend national titles
The 2025 Canadian National Skating Championships wrapped up on Sunday at Place Bell in Laval, Québec, capping off a thrilling week of competition.
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier successfully defended their ice dance national title, finishing with a total score of 229.55 points. The duo earned the highest rhythm dance score of the day, an impressive 91.84. They followed up with a strong free dance performance to “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” by Annie Lennox, scoring a new personal best of 137.71.
Gilles and Poirier are three-time world championship medallists, highlighted by their silver medal in Montreal in 2024. Today’s gold marks their fourth national title but their first title in consecutive years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Gilles’ cancer scare in 2023.
“We’re very proud of what we accomplished here today. The competition went well from start to finish, and we enjoyed every minute of it,” said Poirier.
“It’s truly an honour to be back on top of this podium and to build some momentum for the remainder of the season. It’s a special place for us to deliver a performance like this one, here in front of our fans, and we’re very grateful,” added Gilles.
Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, who stood in second place after the rhythm dance with a score of 86.42, held onto their position, securing the silver medal with a final total of 218.52. The pair missed last year’s Championships due to injury. Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer rounded out the top three, finishing with a total score of 195.88.
Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps retain the National Pairs title
The duo successfully defended their title with a total score of 207.06 points. They started strong, posting the highest short program score of the day with 76.31 points. While their free skate performance scored 130.75 points, it wasn’t without a few minor hiccups, yet they held their lead to secure the win.
“There were a few mistakes. I’d been sick recently, but in training, I’d been doing really well, there were no problems. So, tonight doesn’t totally reflect what we’ve been practicing. We’re going to go back home and work even harder. We’ll get back to our usual selves for next time.” Deschamps explained.
Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud put down the best free program of the day, earning 134.53 points for an overall total of 204.96 and the silver medal. Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier (187.29) finished with the bronze medal.
Schizas seeks redemption with third national title
Madeline Schizas clinched her third national women’s figure skating title on Sunday, delivering a stunning performance with her debut of the “Butterfly Lovers Concerto” program. Landing seven triples and never falling, the 21-year-old scored an impressive 133.87 points in the free skate, for a grand total of 203.87 and a new Canadian record.
“I feel great! Not only am I happy to have won, but I’m also very proud of the way I performed,” said Schizas. “I was pretty nervous! Every year, I find it hard to wait for my turn and to skate last, but today, I was able to overcome the pressure.”
The competition was tight for the two remaining spots on the women’s podium. Sara-Maude Dupuis earned the silver medal with a total score of 182.61, while Katherine Medland Spence took bronze with 181.55 points. It was both skater’s first appearance on the Canadian Championships podium.
Schizas, who claimed the national title in 2022 and 2023, saw her bid for a third consecutive win halted by Kaiya Ruiter in 2024. Ruiter made a climb from eighth to finish just outside the podium in fourth place with a score of 179.41 on Sunday
Roman Sadovsky crowned senior men’s champion
Sitting in first place after the short program, Sadovsky held onto his lead with a commanding performance in Saturday’s free skate. His score of 158.91 brought his total to 240.35 points, securing his second Canadian Senior Championship title, following his first win in 2020.
“It was so loud, I could hardly hear my score!” laughed Sadovsky. “Overall, I just wanted to stay focused, remember to breathe, and not let a single mistake stop me.”
Anthony Paradis delivered a standout free skate performance, scoring 148.29, which earned him the silver medal with a total of 225.56 points. David Li rounded out the podium in third place with a final score of 197.99.
The final day of competition could not have gotten off to a better start, as spectators witnessed the induction of Olympic silver medallist Joannie Rochette and her coach Manon Perron into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame. Their success and resilience will never be forgotten, nor will the immense impact they have had on Canadian figure skating.