World's top figure skaters hit the ice in Saskatoon for Skate Canada International
CBC
Some of the world's best figure skaters are in Saskatoon this weekend competing at Skate Canada International.
As the momentum for the 2026 Olympics builds, 18 Canadian athletes plus dozens of international stars will be at SaskTel Centre for the third stop on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The three-day event runs Friday through Sunday.
One of the Canadian stars is Madeline Schizas, a three-time national champion who earned an Olympic spot in the women's event for the country earlier this year.
“The pressure at [the world championships] was crazy,” Schizas said after practice Thursday. “Any small mistake could have meant not having a spot at the Olympics. But I really feel like I stepped up to it.”
“I think that I'm going to use that experience to my advantage heading into the Olympic season."
Schizas, who is also a full-time university student, said the home Canadian crowd brings both comfort and responsibility.
“It's been really hard, if I'm being honest.” she said. “I'm going to graduate in May and I'm so excited for that. It's been a lot of work and honestly, it's something I'm really proud of."
Sara-Maude Dupuis is aiming to land another triple axel — a rare move that only a few women in the world can do.
She said she felt the support and energy from hundreds of local students who packed the arena for practice on Thursday.
“It's always so special to compete in an international event at home and have all the fans here in Saskatoon,” she said.
Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud say there’s nothing like competing in front of a home crowd.
“We look out into people in the crowd and they're waving and smiling and cheering us on, so it makes our job a lot more enjoyable and just reminds us of why we do it. It's for ourselves, but also for a performance for other people to enjoy,” Pereira said.
The duo helped Canada secure two Olympic pairs spots, and as the Olympics get closer, the pressure rises.
“There's always external pressures that you can kind of listen to or put on yourself. But we really just try to focus on us as a team and bring what we've learned in our past,” Pereira said.
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