Stellato-Dudek, Deschamps 'in the perfect place' heading into Olympic year

Former world figure skating champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps are feeling lighter heading into the Olympic year.

The 2024 gold-medal pair carried the heavy burden of defending their world title through an underwhelming follow-up season.

Now they're back where they're most comfortable: on the hunt.

"We're in the perfect place," Stellato-Dudek said. "Maybe this was the spot that we were meant to be in to give us the fire to push and to get back on top, versus feeling the pressure and the expectation to stay there."

Her partner seconds that emotion.

"It's fun to look at what is in front and to really chase it," Deschamps said. "When you have the target in front, it's clear what you have to aim for."

After their historic win on home soil in Montreal, Stellato-Dudek — who at 40 became the oldest woman to win a world title in any discipline — and Deschamps couldn't repeat the success at the same level.

In spite of winning two gold medals on the Grand Prix circuit and repeating as national champions, they rarely felt satisfied.

The subpar showings, by their lofty standards, caught up with them at the Boston world championships, where they finished fifth largely due to a season-low score in the short program.

They also faced their fair share of "treacherous obstacles," as Stellato-Dudek described.

Deschamps fell ill with a severe fever in November, wiping them out of December's Grand Prix Final. Stellato-Dudek, now 42, also fought through shoulder, ankle and wrist injuries.

A key reason for the letdown, they feel, was having "no off-season at all."

Days after winning world gold in Montreal, Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps jumped into touring for months, appearing in Stars on Ice events in Japan before returning to Canada for shows across the country.

This year, they used that time to map out how they'll return to the sport's pinnacle.

Stellato-Dudek went so far as building a spreadsheet to rank each element of their free programs, uncovering a mix of encouraging results and areas that needed improvement.

"It was a matter of making sure that the ones that were in the red we really worked on, because the capacity for medalling and winning is not gone," she said in a phone interview. "It just needs to be cultivated to be able to prosper once again."

Stellato-Dudek — whose recovery routine includes stretching, cupping, red light therapy and wearing compression therapy pants — believes that "nobody does the kind of work that I do off the ice, no other athlete in the world, both in recovery and both in studying."

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada's high-performance director, was encouraged by what he saw when he visited them during the off-season.

"I really feel they've had a good, positive off-season," Slipchuk said. "I feel they are more back to where they were in the season when they won their world championship."

One major positive from last season: Canada's top pair officially became eligible for the 2026 Winter Games when Stellato-Dudek, who was born in Chicago, gained Canadian citizenship in December.

The duo formed in 2019 with a long-term goal of competing in Milan. Now that dream is only months away.

"It's finally here, this thing that we've been working for, Maxime and I, our whole lives," Stellato-Dudek said.

Deschamps, however, says they're trying not to look too far ahead.

"It's more like people keep reminding us about it," said the 33-year-old from Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. "For us, it's more we're looking every little step, what to do to improve every day. That's what matters, and it will bring us where we want when it's time for it."

Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps will debut two new programs choreographed by Canadian Lori Nichol at the John Nicks Pairs Challenge on Tuesday and Wednesday in New York, where they say have a surprise in store for the audience and judges.

Stellato-Dudek says they'll "make history" with an element never before seen in competition when they skate their short program to the intense, dramatic "Carmina Burana."

The free program will feature music by Spanish guitarist Vicente Amigo and is built around "love and passion."

"This is our love for figure skating, for the sport of pair skating," she said. "Both of these programs are very magical and they're masterpieces, and so we've been working hard to try to perform them to the level that they deserve to be performed."

Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps will also compete in two Grand Prix events this fall. They'll open at the Grand Prix de France in Angers from Oct. 17-19 before flying to Saskatoon for Skate Canada International from Oct. 31-Nov. 2.

The Canadian figure skating championships take place in Gatineau, Que., from Jan. 5-11 ahead of February's Olympic Games.