Canada’s representatives Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps charmed the fan crowd and judges at the World Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday at the Bell Centre.
Skating to an extract fromOxygen, from Cirque du Soleil, Stellato-Dudek, from Chicago, and Deschamps, from Vaudreuil-Dorion, obtained a score of 77.48 for their short program. They therefore occupied provisional first place after the first day of competition.
Reigning world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan scored 73.53 and were second. Italians Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii followed in third place with a score of 72.88.
Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps are two-time reigning Canadian champions. They won the Four Continents Championships last month in Shanghai, China. They finished in fourth place at last year’s Worlds in Saitama, Japan.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
In front of a noisy crowd, they shattered their best score of the season which had so far been 72.25.
On Wednesday, in front of a noisy crowd, they shattered their best score of the season which had so far been 72.25.
For their part, Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Brantford, Ont., took ninth place with a score of 64.83. Kelly Ann Laurin, from Saint-Jérôme, and Loucas Éthier, from St-Alphonse, received a score of 60.18 and find themselves at 14e step.
The presentation of the women’s short programs was scheduled for Wednesday evening. Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., is Canada’s lone representative on the women’s side.
Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto will begin her journey towards what she hopes will be a third consecutive world title. She would then become the first woman to triumph three times in a row at the World Championships since the American Peggy Fleming, between 1966 and 1968.
On Thursday, the men will present their short program during the day, then the first champions will be crowned in the evening, after the presentation of the pairs free programs.