Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier achieved a milestone at the Skate Canada International figure skating competition by securing their sixth consecutive gold medal, making them the first ice dance pair to accomplish this feat in the event’s history. Their remarkable performance earned them a total score of 202.89. The duo narrowly edged out Lithuania’s Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius, who finished with a total score of 200.92, while Canada’s Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha claimed the bronze with a score of 192.41.
In the rhythm dance segment held on Saturday, Gilles and Poirier took the lead with a score of 85.38, surpassing Reed and Ambrulevicius who scored 80.89. Despite the Lithuanian pair’s strong performance in the free dance on Sunday, earning 120.03 points, it was not enough to catch up with Gilles and Poirier who scored 117.51.
At the men’s free dance event, Roman Sadovsky emerged as the top Canadian, finishing in seventh place with a score of 236.73, followed closely by Stephen Gogolev in eighth place with 236.48 points, and Aleksa Rakic in 12th place with a total score of 216.90. The title was claimed by Ilia Malinin from the United States with a score of 333.81.
Malinin set a new world record for the free skate, maintaining his undefeated streak and solidifying his position as a strong contender for the Olympic gold at the upcoming Milano-Cortina Games. His exceptional performance featured six quads and a triple axel, leaving him 76.6 points ahead of Aleksandr Selevko, who secured the second spot.
The Skate Canada International event marked Malinin’s continued success since November 2023, with victories including two world titles and championships at the Grand Prix Finals. The competition is part of the Grand Prix series, with the NHK Trophy in Japan and Skate America in Lake Placid, N.Y., scheduled as the upcoming events, leading to the Finlandia Trophy as the final opportunity to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.