A false start may have portended a quick end for Canada in the team figure skating competition.
Madeline Schizas was forced to restart her women’s short program after she took position at centre-ice to begin her routine, only to hear the wrong music blaring over the speakers at the Milano MSK Competition Rink on Friday at the Olympics.
Schizas recovered to put together a clean skate, earning a score of 64.97 to sit sixth among 10 countries competing in the event.
“I love the team event,” Schizas boasted into the camera after her skate before her look turned quizzical upon learning her score in the kiss-and-cry.
Through three events in the team program, also including pairs and ice dance, Canada sat fifth overall. The top five nations advance to Round 2, with the men’s short program set to finalize those standings on Saturday.
Canada, with 19 points, is two clear of France in sixth. The U.S. leads with 25 points, with Japan in second (23), Italy third (22) and Georgia fourth (20).
Earlier Friday, Canadian ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier placed fourth in rhythm dance with a score of 85.79, just over one point behind third-place Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain (86.85).
In the pairs short, Canada’s Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud — who stepped in earlier this week after an injury to Deanna Stellato-Dudek — also finished fourth, with their score of 68.24 well behind the 76.65 put up by third-place Italians Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii.
The final three skates of the event go Sunday.
