figure skating | Canada unable to defend title in team event

(Beijing) Canada was unable to defend its Olympic title acquired in 2018 in the team event in figure skating. The maple leaf could not do better than a fourth position at the end of the full program, Sunday evening.

It got off to a bad start for Canada in the men’s individual free program on Saturday night. Young Roman Sadovky, still replacing Keegan Messing, finished out of the five competitors in the final round, with a meager score of 122.60.

On Sunday, the Canadian duo of Vanessa James and Eric Radford set the tone for the day of competition. They gave an acceptable performance, but the judges were harsh on them, awarding them only 130.07 points. That put them in fourth place, just like Canada.

Then, for the free dance event, it was the turn of Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier to shine. Usually highly colorful, the two leads were dressed in dark linens and performed under the song The Long and Winding Road, the Beatles. They offered excellent glide quality and high quality choreography. They took the lead with a score of 124.39. They ultimately finished third, leaving Canada fourth overall.

As in qualifying, Canada’s fate would hinge on 20-year-old Madeline Schizaz. Sparkling and heroic the day before, the Ontarian continued her momentum. Although she started her program a bit slowly, she notably managed two noteworthy triple double toes. She earned a score of 132.04, moving her ahead of her American rival. She eventually finished third.

The Canadian performances will not have been enough. The final classification will have been the same as at the end of the qualifications. The Russian Olympic Committee takes gold, the Americans finish second and Japan closes the podium. China finished last.