Two Canadian pairs teams in top 3 at Skate Canada International competition

By Canadian Press on October 31, 2025.

SASKATOON — Two Canadian pairs finished among the top three in Friday’s short program at the 2025 Skate Canada International at the SaskTel Centre.

Deanna Stellato-Dudek of Chicago and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., who won silver at the first ISU Grand Prix in France, skated their way to second place in the short program with a score of 73.03.

The Canadian duo was outdone by Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin, reigning world silver medallists, who earned 77.53 points.

“It’s always nice to skate at home in front of such an enthusiastic crowd,” said Deschamps.

“Some parts of our program were better than at the Grand Prix in France, and others were not. We lost several points on one specific element, but we haven’t seen our routine yet. It’s hard to assess everything right now,” said Stellato-Dudek.

Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps were followed in the standings by Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont., who finished third with a new personal best score of 70.66.

“This is one of the best competitions we’ve done in the short, so we’re really excited about that. We love this program and we’re really happy to showcase how we trained it at home,” said Pereira.

Kelly Ann Laurin of Saint-Jérôme, Que., and Loucas Éthier of Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby, Que., finished sixth in the pair short program with a score of 59.93.

In the women’s event, Sara-Maude Dupuis of Montreal was the top Canadian finisher, placing eighth in the short program with a score of 60.41.

“I feel really great. It was the first time I performed my new routine in front of a large audience, and the crowd was simply incredible. It’s the best feeling you can have as an athlete. I’m happy with my score, and it’s very close to a personal best,” said Dupuis.

Uliana Shiryaeva of Coquitlam, B.C., and Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., also competed Friday, finishing 11th (53.28) and 12th (48.72), respectively.

Japan’s Mone Chiba took first place in the short program with a score of 72.29 points, ahead of the United States’ Isabeau Levito (71.80) in second and Italy’s Lara Naki Gutmann (68.11) in third.

The competition continues Saturday afternoon at the SaskTel Centre with the rhythm dance and the men’s short program, followed by the pair and women’s free programs in the evening.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2025.

The Canadian Press