Two-time defending women’s champion Madeline Schizas led after Friday’s short program at the Canadian figure skating championships in Calgary, scoring 63.63 ahead of Kaiya Ruiter’s 58.25 and Sara-Maude Dupuis in third at 57.87.
“I thought the performance was good,” Schizas said. “I felt like I really gave my all in the performance side. The tech elements were not all there.”
Schizas would be the first woman to claim three consecutive wins since Joannie Rochette capped a run of six in 2010. Watching Rochette skate her short program at the 2010 Olympic Games en route to a bronze medal inspired a seven-year-old Schizas.
WATCH l Schizas tops women’s short program:
Two-time world ice dance bronze medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier posted a top score of 86.78 in the rhythm dance.
The duo returned to the Canadian championship after withdrawing from the 2023 edition as Gilles underwent cancer surgery to remove an ovary.
Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac ranked second with 78 points just ahead of Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer with 77.75.
WATCH l Gilles, Poirier sit 1st after rhythm dance:
Defending pairs champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps were favourites heading into Friday’s short program. The men’s competition was the most wide open of the four disciplines heading into its short program.
Results at nationals factor into Skate Canada’s selections for the upcoming Four Continents championship in Shanghai from Jan. 30 to Feb. 4, as well as the world championship March 18-24 in Montreal.
Roman Sadovsky, who won it in 2020, last year’s runner-up Conrad Orzel, two-time bronze medallist Wesley Chiu and 2019 silver medallist Stephen Gogolev are among 2024’s contenders.
Canadian champions in men’s and women’s singles, pairs and ice dance will be crowned after Saturday’s free skates at WinSport Arena.
Watch live coverage of the Canadian figure skating championships on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.