Piper Gilles of Toronto, Ontario, and Paul Poirier of Ottawa, Ontario, won their third Canadian figure skating championships on Saturday in Calgary, Alberta. Gilles and Poirier scored 222.95 points and took the title. They previously won the gold medal in 2020 in Mississauga, Ontario, and in 2022 in Poirier’s hometown of Ottawa.
The 222.95 points was the best result of the season for Gilles and Poirier and came after they struggled at the 2023 Grand Prix Final in Beijing, China, where they finished third with 213.58 points . Gilles and Poirier achieved their best result of their careers at the 2020 Canadian Championships when they scored a total of 225.62 points.
Gilles and Poirier entered the event as clear favorites. Canadian duo Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Quebec and Zachary Lagha of Greenfield Park, Quebec withdrew because Lajoie was dealing with a concussion. Meanwhile, Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen withdrew because Sorensen is reportedly dealing with a legal matter. All three Canadian teams were at the Grand Prix Final.
In the other elite events in Calgary this weekend, Wesley Chiu of Vancouver, British Columbia won the men’s event. Kaiya Ruiter of Ottawa, Ontario, won the women’s competition, and Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec won the ice dancing competition. The 2024 World Figure Skating Championships will take place March 18-24 in Montreal, Quebec.
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