Schizas wins 3rd women's title, Gilles and Poirier 4th dance title at national figure skating championships

Madeline Schizas was in a familiar spot, anxiously waiting her turn in the warm-up room while her competitors hit the ice one after another.

"I was quite nervous," she said. "I was just like, `Man, I want this to be over.'

"Every Canadian senior nationals I've skated at, I've skated last in the free skate — every year it rolls around, and it never gets easier."

A year ago, Schizas crumbled under that pressure and dropped from first to second after a devastating free program, falling short of a three-peat at nationals.

The 21-year-old from Oakville, Ont., shoved those jitters aside on Sunday and took back the Canadian women's figure skating crown in Laval, Que.

WATCH l Schizas wins her third national championship:

Debuting a slower-paced "Butterfly Lovers Concerto" program, the five-foot Schizas landed seven triples and never fell to score 133.87 points in the free skate, bringing her total to 203.87 and setting a Canadian record.

"I feel so good," she said. "I'm happy that not only was I able to win, but I was able to put out skates I was proud of.

"I stepped up to the pressure today."

Then she celebrated by shooting T-shirts into the stands — without much success — at a raucous Place Bell.

"I didn't get either of them into the crowd, one got in the rafters and one landed on the ice," she said. "At least I'm good at skating."

WATCH l Gilles, Poirier claim 4th ice dance national title:

Montreal's Sara-Maude Dupuis wowed the hometown crowd and finished with 182.61 to claim silver. Ottawa's Katherine Medland Spence took bronze with 181.55.

Later Sunday, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier won their fourth ice dance title. They totalled 229.55 points after scoring 137.71 in their moving free dance to "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" by Annie Lennox.