Deanna Stellato-Dudek, a world champion figure skater, is making a return to the United States after spending seven seasons as part of Team Canada. She has teamed up with Danil Siianytsia to form a new pairs partnership.
The 43-year-old athlete, originally from Chicago, had previously represented the United States in women’s singles over 25 years ago. In 2019, she transitioned to Canada’s program to skate alongside Maxime Deschamps.
Deschamps announced his retirement from competitive figure skating in July, prompting Stellato-Dudek’s decision to switch back to the American team.
In 2024, at the age of 40, Stellato-Dudek made history by becoming the oldest woman to win a world figure skating title with Deschamps for Canada. They also secured the 2024 Four Continents title and three Canadian championships. Stellato-Dudek later acquired Canadian citizenship to be eligible for Olympic representation under the Canadian flag.
Expressing her enthusiasm for the new partnership, Stellato-Dudek stated, “I’m extremely excited to embark on this new journey with Danil and am thankful for the unwavering support from my fans. I am fully committed to making you proud and representing the USA to the best of my abilities.”
Reflecting on her career, she added, “My experiences in this sport have taken me on unexpected paths, but it all started in the United States. I appreciate everything I’ve encountered throughout my career and am eager to see what Danil and I can achieve together.”
Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps placed 11th at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics following a challenging lead-up to her much-anticipated Olympic debut.
Prior to the pairs event, Stellato-Dudek suffered a head injury during a training session less than three weeks before the competition. Despite receiving medical clearance just days before, a fall in the short program dashed their medal hopes.
Siianytsia, aged 25 and originally from Dnipro, Ukraine, has been competing in pairs for the United States since 2017, most recently with Anastasiia Smirnova.
Stellato-Dudek and Siianytsia will be training in Colorado Springs under the guidance of Olympic coach Drew Meekins in preparation for the upcoming qualifying season leading to the 2027 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
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