BEIJING — A terrific Olympic debut by teenager Madeline Schizas highlighted Canada’s fourth place finish in figure skating’s team event at the Beijing Olympics.
Schizas, an 18-year-old from Oakville, Ont., who only a year ago didn’t consider the Olympics in her near-future plans, was third in women’s singles event on Monday, following up a solid short program two days earlier.
Skating to Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” she was virtually flawless en route to scoring 132.04 points.
Russia’s Kamila Valieva scored 178.92 to win the women’s portion, while Kaori Sakamoto of Japan was second (148.66).
Russia won gold with 74 points from all events, while the U.S. took the silver with 65, and Japan won bronze (63).
The Canadians finished with 53 points to edge China (50).
Despite solid skates by reigning world ice dance bronze medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier and pairs team Vanessa James and Eric Radford, a medal was already out of reach when the day began.
Gilles, from Toronto, and Poirier, from Unionville, Ont., were third in dance, scoring 124.39 for their free dance to Govardo’s cover of The Beatles ballad “The Long and Winding Road.”
Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates led the way with 129.07, while Russians Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov were second with 128.17.
James, from Toronto, and Radford, from Balmertown, Ont., scored 130.07 to finish fourth with their pairs free program to Harry Styles’ “Falling.”
A day earlier, James collided with Italian Matteo Guarise. They were both skating backward when they crashed, Guarise almost coming over James’ back. James said both she and Guarise were bruised by the incident.
The Canadians are making their Olympic debut together. Radford won two world titles and Olympic bronze with Meagan Duhamel, but came out of retirement at age 36 last spring to skate with James, a Toronto native who previously competed for France.
Russia’s Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov led the way with 145.20 points, to keep Russia in the lead with 55 points. The U.S. and Japan are tied for second with 48, while Canada and China are out of the medal running with 37 each.
Canada began the day in fourth place, after an excellent women’s singles program by Schizas on Sunday clinched the Canadians a berth among the top-five countries that advanced to skate the free programs.
Canada captured silver when the team event made its Olympic debut in 2014 in Sochi. A team by ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and including world champions Patrick Chan, Kaitlyn Osmond, and Duhamel and Radford won gold four years ago in Pyeongchang.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2022.
Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press
