Canadian pair Stellato-Dudek, Deschamps finish 5th at figure skating worlds
American 'quad god' Ilia Malinin jumps out to big lead in men's event
Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps felt a sense of relief despite missing the podium and falling short of defending their world figure skating title.
The Canadian pair finished fifth in Boston on Thursday, a year after capturing gold in spectacular fashion on home soil in Montreal.
"We've learned so many lessons this year, being the returning champion has been so difficult," Stellato-Dudek told reporters at TD Garden. "You're expected to win, you're asked about it every time. It's just been a new learning experience. I think I'm better at the chase — because I love it.
"This is probably the best place for me to be going into the Olympics."
WATCH | Deschamps and Stellato-Dudek settle for 5th at worlds:
Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won their second world title with 219.79 points, narrowly edging Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin, who tallied 219.08 after an outstanding free skate.
Italy's Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii took bronze (210.47).
Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps scored 132.44 points in their underwater-themed free skate for a total of 199.76. They held the lead until all four teams in the final group scored higher.
Last year's champions faced an uphill battle after placing seventh in Wednesday's short program with a disappointing 67.32 points, their lowest this season.
"Yesterday was super disappointing, especially because it was elements like the spin and the twist that we're excellent at, so that was like giving points away," Stellato-Dudek said. "We were so far behind after yesterday, so all we could do was fight our hearts out today, and we did that."
WATCH | Stellato-Dudek, Deschamps say 'we fought til the very end':
Stellato-Dudek, a U.S.-born skater, became a Canadian citizen in December, allowing her to compete for the country at next year's Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy.
The 41-year-old partnered in 2019 with Deschamps, a 33-year-old from Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. Stellato-Dudek became the oldest woman to win a world title in any figure skating discipline last year.
Despite winning two gold medals on the Grand Prix circuit, the duo didn't reach the same heights this season. Their season-best total score of 210.92 was well below their personal best of 221.56 set at last year's worlds.
Deschamps' illness also forced them out of the Grand Prix Final in December, while Stellato-Dudek dealt with several minor injuries.
Now they have extra motivation to get back on top next year in Milan.
"We'll be really hungry for next year," Deschamps said.
WATCH | Japan's Miura and Kihara win pairs world title:
Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont., finished 13th (179.50), falling from 10th after the short program following a shaky free skate.
Kelly Ann Laurin of St-Jerome, Que., and Loucas Ethier of Deux-Montagnes, Que., were 18th (169.55).
WATCH | Full event replay of pairs event at figure skating worlds:
The results at this year's worlds have implications for the 2026 Winter Games. Canada's top two teams fell short of the combined placement of 13 or lower required to secure three provisional pairs spots for next year's Olympics.
Earlier Thursday, American star Ilia Malinin of the U.S. won a thrilling men's short program with a whopping 110.41 points, three off the world record set by Nathan Chen at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
WATCH | American 'quad god' Ilia Malinin jumps out to big lead in Boston:
Japan's Yuma Kagiyama followed with 107.09 in a stellar program of his own, while Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan was a distant third (94.77).
Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., posted an 80.25, just shy of a season-best, to rank 15th after his solid skate to "Unconscious" by Charlie Winston.
"Overall, a really positive experience, really good energy here in the crowd — lots of Canadian flags," said Sadovsky, who placed 19th at worlds in Montreal last year.
WATCH | Sadovsky sits 15th after men's short program:
The 25-year-old qualified for Saturday's free skate and likely secured one men's event entry for Canada at the Olympics. Sadovsky would need to climb into the top 10 to earn his country a second provisional spot.
Competition continues Friday with the rhythm dance and women's free program.
Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier won ice dance silver last year and will battle two-time reigning champs Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. for gold in Boston.
Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., was sixth after the women's short program.
The world championships are hosted by the Skating Club of Boston in mourning as it grieves the death of six members on Jan. 29, when an American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter near Washington, D.C.
WATCH | Malinin speaks to CBC Sports' Devin Heroux after season-best score:
With files from The Canadian Press
