Newly minted Olympic bronze medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier will headline Canada's team at the upcoming figure skating world championships in Prague. The event, set for March 24-29, features other notable Canadian skaters from the recent Milan Cortina Olympics. This selection highlights Canada's strong presence in the discipline following their Olympic performances.
The Canadian figure skating team for the world championships has been announced, with Olympic bronze medallists in ice dance, Piper Gilles from Toronto and Paul Poirier from Unionville, Ontario, leading the contingent. The pair secured their first Olympic medal at the Milan Cortina Games and have previously earned silver medals at the last two world championships.
Joining them is Stephen Gogolev, a 21-year-old from Toronto, who made a strong impression at the Olympics with a fifth-place finish in the men's event, including the second-best free skate of the competition. In the women's event, Madeline Schizas, 23, from Oakville, Ontario, will represent Canada. She contributed to Canada's fifth-place team event result but did not advance to the free program in the individual women's competition.
The pairs category will be headed by Lia Pereira from Milton, Ontario, and Trennt Michaud from Trenton, Ontario, who finished eighth at the Olympics. The world championships will take place in Prague, Czechia, from March 24 to 29.
This team selection comes shortly after the Milan Cortina Olympics, where Gilles and Poirier won bronze in ice dance, and Schizas missed the qualifying cut in women's singles skating. The announcement underscores Canada's competitive edge in figure skating on the international stage.
