Canadian will be oldest figure skater to compete at Olympics in 98 years
There will be no shortage of storylines regarding Canadian athletes at the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics.
Whether it’s the likes of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid suiting up together on the Olympic stage for the first time, or freestyle skiing legend MikaĂŤl Kingsbury looking to add on to his already incredible career, Canadians tuning in have plenty to look forward to.
Another interesting sport to keep an eye on is figure skating.
Deanna Stellato-Dudek, a Canadian figure skater, is set to compete in her first Olympics. While that is exciting in its own right, it’s made even better by the fact that she’s doing so at the age of 42.
Stellato-Dudek will be the oldest woman to compete in an Olympic figure skating event since St. Moritz 1928, where Ethel Muckelt, also 42 at the time, represented Great Britain. She will serve as the oldest Canadian woman to compete at a winter Olympic event aside from curling since Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936.
Stellato-Dudek will be skating alongside her pairs partner, Maxime Deschamps. The pairing won the 2024 World Figure Skating Championship and the 2024 Four Continents Championship. Meanwhile, Stellato-Dudek has medaled six times at the ISU Grand Prix and is a three-time Canadian National Skating champion. She is the oldest figure skater to win a World title in any discipline.
Despite being born in Park Ridge, Illinois, and skating competitively for the U.S. for several years, Stellato-Dudek obtained Canadian citizenship in late 2024 for the opportunity to skate alongside Deschamps.
Stellato-Dudek will be the second-oldest Canadian taking part in this year’s Games. The only older athlete is curler Marc Kennedy, who will turn 44 the day before the Opening Ceremony.
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