A pair of world champions will get to compete at the Winter Olympics.
Figure skaters Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps have been medically cleared to compete at the pairs competition, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced Tuesday.
Their status had been in question because of an injury suffered by Stellato-Dudek in training prior to the Games. The COC said Tuesday that Stellato-Dudek hit her head on the ice during a training session in Quebec on Jan. 30.
The duo dropped out of the team competition four days before it started last Friday. At the time, the COC said Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps were being assessed daily to determine whether they could compete in pairs.
The pairs competition is scheduled for Feb. 15-16.
“I want to thank everyone for their concern and support. I’ve been working closely with the medical team, and feel ready and excited to compete,” Stellato-Dudek said in a statement. “My priority right now is skating my best. Maxime and I respectfully ask the media to allow us space to focus on the competition.”
Stellato-Dudek, 42, and Deschamps, 34, were set to compete in their first-ever Olympics. The Chicago-born Stellato-Dudek received her Canadian citizenship in December 2024 in order to represent the country at the Winter Games.
The duo won gold at the 2024 world championships together.
But this season has been more challenging. The team finished last in the six-team Grand Prix Finals and then was runner-up to Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud at the Canadian championships.
A former singles skater, Dudek-Stellato left the sport in 2000 as a series of injuries. She returned to pairs in 2016 before joining forces with Deschamps in 2019.
