Open this photo in gallery:
Canada’s Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Canada’s Maxime Deschamps were able to compete in Sunday’s pairs short program, after Stellato-Dudek was injured in practice prior to the Olympics beginning.GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images
Ten years ago, long retired figure skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek upended her life to chase a dream that no one thought was possible.
She wanted to win an Olympic gold medal.
On Sunday night, the 42-year-old and her partner, Maxime Deschamps, achieved part of that goal by performing their short program in Milan in the pairs event.
Their skate was strong – they nailed a throw triple loop and triple twist – but not perfect. A hand down by Deschamps on the landing in the side-by-side jumps and a costly fall from Stellato-Dudek on the exit of the reverse lasso lift left them in 14th place ahead of Monday night’s long program.
But the duo left the ice as Olympians and Stellato-Dudek – whose inspiring comeback story has made headlines around the world – has officially became the oldest woman to compete in Olympic figure skating since 1928.
Skating for Canada at 42, Deanna Stellato-Dudek makes maturity her superpower
These are achievements that just two weeks ago seemed unlikely for the former world and Canadian champions. Just before they were due to leave for Italy, Stellato-Dudek suffered a serious injury in practice and had to pull out of the team event.
For the first week of the Games, it was unclear if Stellato-Dudek would be able to compete at all. The approval for the individual pairs competition only arrived a week ago.
So to their coach, Josée Picard, Sunday’s appearance alone is a victory.
“I’m just happy they’re here; that they get to be Olympians,” Picard said in an interview, wiping tears off her cheeks.
“They put a lot of work in. It’s been rough. Just the whole situation. I’m proud that they went out there. They did their best.”
Open this photo in gallery:
An uncharacteristic fall from Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps left the pair in 14th place, with the long program taking place on Monday.Stephanie Scarbrough/The Associated Press
While Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps did not lay down the skate they wanted, their teammates, reigning national champions Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud, pulled out a season’s best performance that put them in podium position.
The pair, who are also making their Olympic debut, executed a monster throw triple loop, strong side-by-side toeloops and a gorgeous reverse lasso lift, earning 74.60 points to put them in third place.
Speaking afterward, both skaters said being able to compete in the team event helped them work through some of the extra nerves that come with competing at the Olympics.
“Stepping out on the ice for the first time at the Olympics is very – you know – every emotion you can feel. But extremely nerve racking,” the 21-year-old Pereira said. “Today, we are like, ‘Okay, we’ve done this already.’”
By contrast, Picard said that Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps only arrived Thursday and had just two days of practice.
The Decibel: Defying time and biology: the Olympic skater making history
“Some of these people have been here for a week and a half. They got the jitters out,” said the veteran coach, who has been to six Olympic Games.
An emotional Picard said that every day since the accident has been a challenge. (In an interview on Friday, Stellato-Dudek called it a “nightmare” she would not wish on anybody.) Skate Canada has released few details about the injury and Stellato-Dudek has told reporters she is not ready to talk about it yet.
Everything has been day-by-day, and no one was sure if Stellato-Dudek would get the clearance to compete.
The pair finally got the go-ahead a week ago and it’s been a mad rush since.
Open this photo in gallery:
At 42, Stellato-Dudek became the oldest woman to compete in Olympic figure skating in almost 100 years.Ashley Landis/The Associated Press
As of Wednesday, just hours before their plane left, the team was still sorting out its short program choreography. Stellato-Dudek had been reluctant to remove one of their signature tricks – the assisted backflip – from their step sequence. But she was finally convinced it was the right thing to do.
That left them in need of something to fill those empty seconds.
Picard said they pulled up videos from the summer that showed choreographer Lori Nichol’s original plan – a swing-through dance lift. They spent all of 10 minutes on the swap and then it was time to go, Picard said.
On Sunday night, Picard watched the program from the boards near the kiss and cry, directly in front of where Stellato-Dudek went down.
“It was a fluke. Like many flukes that have been happening the last few weeks,” she said.
Stellato-Dudek said when she felt herself falling, her first thought was surprise. That had never happened before – ever. It was an especially costly error for this team, because the high-point lifts are where Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps are usually able to rack up margin over their competitors.
Asked about what it feels like to finally earn the title of being the oldest woman to compete in Olympic figure skating in nearly 100 years, Stellato-Dudek said she hoped it inspired others to take a risk.
Heading into the long program, Deschamps said Monday is a new day.
“We’re just going to go out there again tomorrow, enjoy the moment, skate together as a team and enjoy the experience,” Deschamps, 34, said. “We are really proud of everything we have done.”
Follow our live daily coverage of the Winter Games
