Deanna Stellato-Dudek tackles each year like a new mountain to climb.
This season, the path to the top has been a rocky road for her and partner Maxime Deschamps.
鈥淎 lot of treacherous obstacles in our way that we were not expecting,鈥� Stellato-Dudek said.
Canada鈥檚 top figure skating pair has yet to reach the same heights since last year鈥檚 world championship gold in Montreal, capping a fairy tale season. At 40, Stellato-Dudek became the oldest woman to win a world title.
Despite their reigning champion status, Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps won鈥檛 be the favourites at worlds this week in Boston.
Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps won gold at both their Grand Prix assignments last fall and defended their Canadian title in January, but they have struggled to deliver clean short and long programs in the same competition.
Injuries and illnesses haven't helped.
Deschamps, a 33-year-old from Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., fell seriously ill in November. He lost 10 pounds during a four-day fever, forcing the team out of the Grand Prix final in December.
Stellato-Dudek, now 41, also revealed she鈥檚 battled through shoulder, ankle and wrist injuries.
鈥淚 jokingly always say I鈥檓 the least injured one at the rink and I鈥檓 the oldest by far, because it鈥檚 the teenagers who always have some kind of ache and pain,鈥� she said in a recent conference call. 鈥淏ut this year I was like a teenager with all of my little injuries here and there.
鈥淟ast year, we had no illnesses, we had no injuries. This year it鈥檚 been like sickness after injury after sickness after injury.鈥�
The latest hit came before last month鈥檚 Four Continents Championships in Seoul, where Stellato-Dudek took a hard fall and badly bruised her 鈥済lute鈥� area, forcing her to avoid jumps and throws for a week until the competition鈥檚 first official practice.
鈥淭hat plane ride was not fun all the way to Korea,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 had to lean left the whole time.鈥�
Following that setback, they managed to post a season-best score of 210.92 鈥� still well short of the personal-best 221.56 posted last year in Montreal 鈥� to claim silver behind 2023 world champs Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan.
Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps placed fourth in a shaky short program in Seoul. But after that 鈥渨orst-case scenario,鈥� Stellato-Dudek said they skated freely in a stellar long program to their underwater-themed routine, one they鈥檇 struggled with all season.
They鈥檒l aim to replicate that relaxed mindset at worlds.
鈥淧ractice all year has been going really well. It's been the competitions that have been a little bit harder for us,鈥� she said. 鈥淎t some point, it has to translate, and maybe we just needed to relax a little.鈥�
The reigning world champions say they鈥檝e felt the weight of holding on to that title all season, but Deschamps said the hardships have only made them stronger.
"Either it brings you more together, or it separates you. And in those circumstances for us, it's bringing us together,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll together, we can climb that mountain.鈥�
The pairs short program is set for Wednesday evening at Boston鈥檚 TD Garden, followed by the long program on Thursday night.
And the competition will be stiff.
German pair Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin 鈥� last year鈥檚 bronze medallists 鈥� hold the season鈥檚 best score at 218.44, followed by Miura and Kihara鈥檚 217.32.
Georgia鈥檚 Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava and Italy鈥檚 Sara Conti and Niccol貌 Macii have also scored higher than the top Canadian duo, who are trying to just focus on themselves.
鈥淲hat we really want for us is just to go out there and be proud of what we鈥檙e doing,鈥� Deschamps said.
鈥淚f we鈥檝e done two really good programs, that鈥檚 going to feel like we won anyway,鈥� added Stellato-Dudek. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about getting off the ice and being content with yourself, which we have not been able to do in both programs yet all season.鈥�
One hurdle Stellato-Dudek did clear this season was gaining her Canadian citizenship, allowing her to compete for Canada at next year鈥檚 Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy.
The U.S.-born skater says she鈥檚 proud to represent Canada on American soil amid the trade war between the two countries.
鈥淚 am now a Canadian citizen, which is the honour of my life,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have family that still lives in America that will be at an American worlds to come watch me.
鈥淪ports really is one of the few things in the world that really brings people together from all different nationalities in all parts of the world, and I really hope that this world championships does that for everybody.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
