Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier achieved a historic milestone at the Skate Canada International figure skating event on Sunday by securing their sixth consecutive gold medals. They scored a total of 202.89 points, making them the first ice dance pair to accomplish this feat at the competition. The duo narrowly outperformed Lithuania’s Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius, who finished with 200.92 points. Canada’s Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha claimed the bronze with a total score of 192.41.
Gilles and Poirier emerged as the leaders after the rhythm dance on Saturday, scoring 85.38 points, while Reed and Ambrulevicius followed closely with 80.89 points. Despite the Lithuanian pair’s strong performance in the free dance on Sunday, earning 120.03 points, it was not sufficient to close the gap with Gilles and Poirier, who scored 117.51 points.
In the men’s event, Roman Sadovsky topped the Canadian contingent, finishing in seventh place with a total score of 236.73, closely followed by Stephen Gogolev at 236.48 and Aleksa Rakic at 216.90. Ilia Malinin from the United States emerged as the overall winner with a score of 333.81 points.
Malinin set a new world record for the free skate, showcasing his dominance in the sport with an exceptional performance that included six quads and a triple axel. His commanding lead of 76.6 points over second-place Aleksandr Selevko solidified his position as a strong contender for the Olympic gold at the upcoming Milano-Cortina Games.
Malinin’s free skate score of 228.97 surpassed the previous record under the current scoring system, set by Olympic champion Nathan Chen in 2019. Selevko secured the second position with 257.21 points, while Kao Miura of Japan claimed the bronze with 253.69 points.
Malinin’s unbeaten streak dates back to November 2023, with consistent victories at major events including the world championships and Grand Prix Finals. Skate Canada International marks the third event in the Grand Prix series, with upcoming competitions including the NHK Trophy in Japan, Skate America in Lake Placid, NY, and the Finlandia Trophy as the final opportunity to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.
