It’s a big weekend for winter sports with the figure skating Grand Prix season coming to a close while the bobsleigh and men’s alpine speed seasons are just kicking off! Team Canada’s short track speed skaters are back in action on the ISU Short Track World Tour and there are a host of freestyle skiers at different FIS World Cups.
Here’s what you don’t want to miss:
This weekend marks the end of the first half of the figure skating season with the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final taking place in Grenoble, France. Team Canada will be represented in the senior events by two strong ice dance teams.
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are in the hunt for a podium finish. Gilles and Poirier captured bronze at last year’s Grand Prix Final before skating to silver at the 2024 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. This season, the duo won gold at Skate Canada International (for the fifth time in a row) and silver at the Finlandia Trophy.
READ: Gilles & Poirier aim to tango to the top before dancing onwards to 2026 Winter Olympics
Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha secured their spot at the Grand Prix Final with silver medals at both Skate Canada International and the Cup of China. They finished sixth at last year’s Grand Prix Final.
Reigning world champion pairs team Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps were qualified as the top-ranked team, but unfortunately had to pull out due to illness.
After the first moguls competition of the season in Ruka, Finland, the FIS World Cup circuit heads to Idre Fjäll, Sweden where there will be moguls and dual moguls on the schedule.
Team Canada’s legendary Mikaël Kingsbury notched his 91st World Cup victory last weekend. This one had special meaning to the “King of Moguls”, though, as it was his first win since becoming a father. Kingsbury’s 3-month-old son, Henrik, was in Ruka to watch his dad compete.
Fellow Canadians Elliot Vaillancourt and Maïa Schwinghammer also had strong showings in Ruka, with Vaillacourt placing eighth and Schwinghammer narrowly missing the podium in the women’s event, placing fourth.
There’s another FIS Freestyle World Cup happening this weekend, with halfpipe competition taking place in Secret Garden, China.
Three Canadian men qualified through to the final. Brendan Mackay finished third in heat one with a score of 82.00. Evan Marinau finished seventh in that same heat with a score of 75.00. His twin brother Dylan Marineau placed seventh in heat two, also with a score of 75.00.
Women’s qualification was rescheduled to Saturday due to weather conditions. Finals for both men’s and women’s events will take place on Saturday. Five Canadian women are entered: Amy Fraser, Rachael Karker, Cassie Sharpe, Dillan Glennie, and Emma Morozumi.
READ: “It takes a village”: Olympic medallist Cassie Sharpe returns to competition after becoming a mom
The World Cup opener for the men’s speed events will take place this weekend in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Friday will feature the downhill, followed by the super-G on Saturday, and giant slalom on Sunday.
Team Canada is led by reigning super-G world champion, Jack Crawford, as well as 2023 world championship bronze medallist in the downhill, Cameron Alexander. Joining them are Jeffrey Read, Brodie Seger, Riley Seger, and Kyle Alexander.
The ISU Short Track World Tour will resume this weekend with a stop in Beijing, China.
A stacked team of 10 Canadians will take to the ice. For the women, watch out for Kim Boutin, Florence Brunelle, Rikki Doak, Courtney Saurault, and Danaé Blais. Sarault is making her season debut after missing the first two World Tour stops while recovering from a concussion.
For the men, keep an eye on William Dandjinou, Steven Dubois, Jordan Pierre-Gilles, Félix Roussel, and Philippe Daudelin. Dandjinou currently leads the overall race for the Crystal Globe and also tops the 1500m standings while he and Dubois are tied atop the 500m standings.
The team will look to pick up where they left off on the World Tour a month ago. A two-week homestand in Montreal saw them accumulate 14 medals (nine gold, two silver, three bronze).
Team Canada sliding athletes will be in action in Altenberg, Germany. The event is the IBSF World Cup opener for bobsleigh.
Veteran Olympians Melissa Lotholz and Cynthia Appiah will kick off their season by competing in the women’s monobob on Saturday. In the two-woman event on Sunday, Appiah is expected to have rookie brakewoman Skylar Sieben in her sled while Lotholz should be pushed by Leah Walkeden.
Jane Channell and Grace Dafoe will race in the women’s skeleton on Friday. On the men’s side, Kyle Donsberger and Jordan Rwiyamilira will take to the track for the men’s skeleton.
