Madeline Schizas admitted to feeling some pressure this week as the defending Canadian champion.

The 19-year-old from Oakville, Ont., who was the last woman to skate Saturday at the Tribute Communities Centre, held off the hard-charging Kaiya Ruiter to win her second national figure skating title.

B次元官网网址淚 knew that the skaters ahead of me had put pressure on me to put out a skate that maybe didnB次元官网网址檛 need to be perfect but did need to be a fight from start to finish. And that was difficult,B次元官网网址� Schizas said. B次元官网网址淚 was standing backstage and I was like, B次元官网网址極h gosh, this is not going to be a walk in the park.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 just happy that it was a fight from start to finish. The end of that program wasnB次元官网网址檛 easy but I pushed right to the end and IB次元官网网址檓 happy with that.B次元官网网址�

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen captured their first Canadian dance title despite a mishap on their final move when Fournier BeaudryB次元官网网址檚 long skirt caught under her blade.

And Deanna Stellato-Dudek battled through a nagging virus to win the pairs event with Maxime Deschamps.

Dressed in coral colours and skating to music from B次元官网网址淲est Side Story,B次元官网网址� Schizas landed six triple jumps to score 128.15 points in her free program, for 196.47 overall.

Ruiter, a 16-year-old from Calgary, vaulted from sixth after the short program to the silver medal with the highest free-skate score of 129.82, and a total of 189.36.

B次元官网网址淥h my gosh, it feels absolutely incredible,B次元官网网址� Ruiter said. B次元官网网址淚t was so unexpected and just to skate my best skate and win a medal on top of that B次元官网网址� oh my gosh, I still canB次元官网网址檛 believe it.B次元官网网址�

Fiona Bombardier, the 17-year-old daughter of two-time Olympian Josee Chouinard, claimed bronze with 180.54 points.

Schizas won a legion of fans with her impressive Olympic debut last year in Beijing, where her short program in the team event propelled Canada into the final and eventually to a fourth-place finish.

She called her second consecutive Canadian title B次元官网网址渟urreal.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think if you told me as a kid or if you told me in 2020 I was going to be a two-time Canadian champion, I wouldB次元官网网址檝e have bought into it B次元官网网址� now here I am,B次元官网网址� Schizas said.

Ruiter was the 2020 Canadian junior champion at just 13, trouncing a field of skaters who were in most cases at least a couple of years older.

She would have been just old enough to compete in the Beijing Olympics, but a gruesome injury sidelined her for the season.

B次元官网网址淚 landed on my skate blade, and it went through and cut two of my calf muscles,B次元官网网址� Ruiter said. B次元官网网址淚t was really rough, and then coming back from that B次元官网网址� I had some scar tissue issues and nerve damage all throughout the summer.

B次元官网网址淪o, I only really started training again in September.B次元官网网址�

The national event determines CanadaB次元官网网址檚 team for the world championships March 20-26 in Saitama, Japan.

Canada has just one berth in womenB次元官网网址檚 singles.

While Schizas will earn that spot when the team is named Sunday, Ruiter looked forward to the world junior championship on home ice at CalgaryB次元官网网址檚 WinSport Event Centre.

MontrealB次元官网网址檚 Fournier Beaudry and Soerensen, a Danish-Canadian, competed for Denmark before switching allegiances in 2018.

They scored 212.40 points despite their blunder, which they said cost them five points, to edge Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha by 0.6.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, who won the Grand Prix Final last month, withdrew from the national championships after GillesB次元官网网址� appendectomy.

Fournier Beaudry and Soerensen had the crowd gasping just three seconds before the end of their music when Fournier BeaudryB次元官网网址檚 blade got caught up in her four-pound skirt.

B次元官网网址淪o listen, we had a really good time. When it happened, I just started laughing because like this is ridiculous,B次元官网网址� Soerensen said. B次元官网网址淵ou know, when you skate like that B次元官网网址� the last words she told me right before: B次元官网网址楴ik, just remember to enjoy every moment,B次元官网网址� because it goes by so fast when youB次元官网网址檙e out there.

B次元官网网址淲e train so hard for seven minutes of performance in front of a crowd, seven times a year B次元官网网址� and with whatever mistake you do, weB次元官网网址檙e just really able to still enjoy and have a good time, because weB次元官网网址檙e humans, and it happens to everybody.B次元官网网址�

Stellato-Dudek, a 39-year-old who came out of retirement after more than a dozen years away from the sport, has been ill for nine weeks with a virus that causes her throat to swell. She and Deschamps scored 199.18 for gold, while Brooke McIntosh, sister of swim star Summer McIntosh, claimed the silver (187.26).

B次元官网网址淭hat was hard,B次元官网网址� Stellato-Dudek said through a raspy voice. B次元官网网址淎lso, usually before a competition IB次元官网网址檓 really hyped up and IB次元官网网址檓 at 110 per cent and IB次元官网网址檓 just not right now B次元官网网址� IB次元官网网址檝e never felt not 100 per cent at an event. I feel like IB次元官网网址檓 a Diet Coke, not a Coke, you know what I mean? So, IB次元官网网址檓 not giving us much caffeine or sugar or energy.B次元官网网址�

She said she was intent on competing to get her partner on the podium. Deschamps was competing in his 10th national championships B次元官网网址� eight of them were with previous partners.

B次元官网网址淓veryone always focuses on my story, because itB次元官网网址檚 so abnormal. But Max has an amazing story also. And I really wanted to be the partner that brought him a gold medal,B次元官网网址� Stellato-Dudek said.

B次元官网网址淎fter all those years that I keep fighting, persevere and everything that finally I arrived there and to be able to win, itB次元官网网址檚 just fantastic,B次元官网网址� said the 31-year-old Deschamps. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know the word right now perfectly to describe what itB次元官网网址檚 feeling right now.B次元官网网址�

The menB次元官网网址檚 singles free program was the final event Saturday.

Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press

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