Deanna Stellato-Dudek

Deanna Stellato-Dudek (born June 22, 1983) is an American pair skater who currently competes with Maxime Deschamps for Canada. With Deschamps, she is the 2024 World champion, the 2024 Four Continents champion, 2023–24 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, a three-time ISU Grand Prix gold medalist, a two-time ISU Challenger Series gold medalist, and two-time Canadian national champion (2023–2024). She is the oldest female figure skater to win a World title in any discipline.

Competing for the United States with her former skating partner, Nathan Bartholomay, she is the 2018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy silver medalist, the 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy bronze medalist, the 2018 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist, and a two-time U.S. national bronze medalist (2018–2019).

Stellato-Dudek originally competed in women's singles, winning silver at the 2000 World Junior Championships and gold at the 1999–20 Junior Grand Prix Final. She won one senior international medal, a silver at the 2000 Karl Schäfer Memorial, prior to her initial retirement from competitive skating in 2001.

Personal life
Stellato-Dudek was born June 22, 1983, in Park Ridge, Illinois. She is a licensed aesthetician and permanent cosmetic professional. She has worked as the director of aesthetics at the Geldner Center in Chicago. She married a consultant, Michael Dudek, in 2013.

Single skating
Stellato-Dudek began learning to skate as a five-year-old. In the 1999–2000 season, she won the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final and went on to win the silver medal at the 2000 World Junior Championships. A member of Wagon Wheel FSC, she was coached by Cindy Watson-Caprel and Philip Mills in Northbrook and Buffalo Grove, Illinois.

Stellato-Dudek began the following season at a U.S.-only team event, the 2000 Keri Lotion Classic, where she was partnered with Michael Weiss. She received a 6.0 for presentation. Making her senior international debut, she won silver at the 2000 Karl Schäfer Memorial in October. In November, she finished fifth at a Grand Prix event, the 2000 Skate Canada International, where she injured her right hip before the free skate. After returning to training two weeks later, Stellato-Dudek sustained a pulled hip flexor in the same hip, which led to her withdrawal from the 2001 U.S. Championships. She later decided to retire from competition. Due to four different hip injuries, she had skated for approximately 24 months in four years. Other injuries in her career included a torn ligament in her right ankle and a fractured left ankle.

Partnership with Bartholomay
Following her retirement from competitive skating, Stellato-Dudek studied and began a career as an aesthetician. While attending a work retreat, a team-building exercise prompt, "what is something you'd do if you knew you couldn't fail?" inspired her to revive her interest in skating. She resumed skating in March 2016, in the Chicago area, before visiting her former coach, Cindy Watson-Caprel, who had moved to a rink in Ellenton, Florida. In Florida, U.S. Figure Skating's high-performance director, Mitch Moyer, suggested a tryout with Nathan Bartholomay, a pair skater who was working at the same rink. In July 2016, Stellato-Dudek and Bartholomay announced that they had formed a partnership and were based at the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex. Coached by Jim Peterson, they trained on ice three hours a day, five days a week.

2016–17 season
Making their international debut together, the Stellato-Dudek/Bartholomay placed sixth at the 2016 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb. After taking the gold medal at the Eastern Sectional Championships, they qualified for the 2017 U.S. Championships where they finished in fourth place, earning the pewter medal.

2017–18 season
Stellato-Dudek/Bartholomay began the season with two Challenger assignments, finishing sixth at both the 2017 CS U.S. Classic and the 2017 CS Finlandia Trophy. They were then invited to make their Grand Prix debut as a team, finishing eighth of eight teams at the 2017 Skate America.

Stellato-Dudek and Bartholomay won the bronze medal at the 2018 U.S. Championships. This earned them an assignment to the 2018 Four Continents Championships, where they finished fifth. Upon the withdrawal of national silver medalists Kayne/O'Shea from the 2018 World Championships, Stellato-Dudek/Bartholomay were called up to replace them on the team. They finished seventeenth in the short program, missing the cut from the free skate segment. Stellato-Dudek said that she hoped to compete until at least the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, remarking, "I've had a 16-year vacation; I can go another four."

2018–19 season
Stellato-Dudek/Bartholomay opened the 2018–19 figure skating season with two Challenger events, winning silver at the Nepela Trophy and bronze at Nebelhorn Trophy. They placed sixth at the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki and had to withdraw from the 2018 Rostelecom Cup. Competing in a third Challenger event, they won another bronze medal at the 2018 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.

Stellato-Dudek/Bartholomay won a second consecutive bronze medal at the 2019 U.S. Championships. However, due to perceived inconsistent results earlier in the season, they were not assigned to the third American berth at the 2019 Four Continents Championships, that going instead to pewter medalists Kayne/O'Shea. Coach Jim Peterson said afterward "we are disappointed, what can I say? We are the U.S. bronze medalists. We defeated Kayne and O'Shea at nationals."

The national championships would be the team's final competition, as they announced in April 2019 that injuries to Bartholomay precluded them from continuing together.

Partnership with Deschamps
Following the end of her partnership with Bartholomay, Stellato-Dudek returned to Chicago and continued training by herself while seeking a new partner, later saying, "I called every single coach I’d ever met in my entire life to see if they had anyone available." Upon learning of Canadian pair skater Maxime Deschamps, she arranged a tryout in Montreal overseen by coach Bruno Marcotte, and they shortly after formed a new partnership.

The pair considered skating for either the U.S. or Canada. They chose to skate for Canada as Deschamps would probably not be able to get U.S. citizenship in time for the 2026 Olympics, but Stellato-Dudek would probably be able to get Canadian citizenship by then.

Given the difficulty of obtaining Canadian citizenship before 2022, Stellato-Dudek said that her goal was to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics, joking, "I'm already too old to be doing this, so I can be too old in six years, too. So what's the difference?" The new partnership first came to public notice when they appeared on the entry list for the Souvenir Georges-Éthier domestic competition. Following Marcotte's relocation to Ontario, they were coached by Ian Connolly and later Josée Picard.

2019–20 season
Stellato-Dudek was not initially released to compete internationally by the American federation, so the team appeared only domestically in the 2019–20 season. Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps won the Quebec sectional qualifying event before taking bronze at Skate Canada Challenge to qualify for the 2020 Canadian Championships. However, Stellato-Dudek sustained a hamstring injury in the leadup to the event, hampering their progress. They placed sixth in their national championship debut.

2020–21 season
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the international and domestic seasons were largely curtailed. Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps repeated their previous season's sectionals and Challenge results, but the 2021 Canadian Championships were cancelled.

2021–22 season
After securing her release from the USFS, Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps debuted internationally at the 2021 CS Autumn Classic International, placing fourth, ahead of Bartholomay and his new partner Katie McBeath. They were given a second Challenger event, the 2021 CS Warsaw Cup, where they finished in sixth place.

Deschamps contracted COVID-19 in the leadup to the 2022 Canadian Championships, as a result of which they were only able to resume training a week beforehand. They won the bronze medal, their first national podium, with Stellato-Dudek saying, "we feel really happy. We fought for every element in that program, so we are happy to be here." Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps went on to finish fourth at the 2022 Four Continents Championships.

2022–23 season
The beginning of the new Olympic cycle saw a significant shift in the international pairs scene as a result of retirements and the banning of all Russian competitors due to the Russo-Ukrainian War. Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps won the gold medal at the 2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. This was Stellato-Dudek's first international title in 22 years. They also shared with the rest of the Canadian delegation the Fritz Geiger Memorial Trophy for the highest-ranked country at the event.

The team was then invited to make their Grand Prix debut at the 2022 Skate America and won the silver medal, only 3.5 points behind gold medalists Knierim/Frazier. This was the first Grand Prix medal for both skaters. Stellato-Dudek also became the oldest Grand Prix medalist in history. They travelled to Angers for the 2022 Grand Prix de France, their second Grand Prix event, and won the gold medal. This was the first Grand Prix win for both skaters and made her, at age 39, the oldest skater to win a Grand Prix event. Their results qualified them for the Grand Prix Final. Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps entered the event considered likely bronze medalists and placed third in the short program, distantly behind top-ranked teams Knierim/Frazier and Japan's Miura/Kihara and 2.04 points of Italians Conti/Macii. Stellato-Dudek said she was pleased by the result, revealing that she had "got really ill" in recent weeks and "had to take time off the ice and off the training, and I lost weight, and I lost muscles, so we were training very hard to try and be ready for here." However, the team struggled in the free skate, placing fifth in that segment and dropping behind the Italians for fourth overall. She called this a disappointment but said it was understandable in light of their training difficulties.

Stellato-Dudek continued to experience health difficulties in the aftermath of the Final, presumed to be a result of respiratory syncytial virus infection, which made her unable to breathe through her mouth. She had limited medical options for dealing with the virus given the need to remain compliant with WADA guidelines. Despite these difficulties, the pair resolved to compete at the 2023 Canadian Championships, with Stellato-Dudek explaining that "I want it so badly because I want it for Max so much, because this is his tenth Canadian championship and last year I was so proud, I was the first partner you got a medal with in senior. So, to be the partner that brings him the gold would be really special to me." They won the gold medal by a margin of 11.92 points over silver medalists McIntosh/Mimar.

Following the national championships, Stellato-Dudek eventually recovered from the extended illness, and was assessed as being at "100% of her physical power" for a week in advance of the 2023 Four Continents Championships. They finished second in the short program despite her stepping out of their throw jump. The free skate proved somewhat more difficult, with Deschamps falling on an attempt at the triple Salchow jump. They were third in that segment, albeit with a new personal best score, and won the bronze medal. This was Stellato-Dudek's first ISU championship medal in 23 years, to which she said "it means a lot to me to bring home hardware and I have all intention to continue until 2026."

Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps placed fourth in the short program at the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, only 0.43 points behind Conti/Macii in third. Both erred on their triple Salchow attempt in the free skate, and they finished sixth in that segment, but remained in fourth overall. Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps then joined Team Canada for the 2023 World Team Trophy, where they came third in the short program, narrowly beating Conti/Macii. They were fourth in the free skate, while Team Canada finished sixth overall.

2023–24 season
In anticipation of Deschamps' home province hosting the 2024 World Championships in Montreal, the duo selected Cirque du Soleil's "Oxygène" as a homage to French Canadian culture. Their Interview with the Vampire free program featured Stellato-Dudek acting the part of a vampire.

Beginning the season at the 2023 CS Autumn Classic International, Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps won gold. They set new personal bests in the free skate and total score, passing 200 points in the latter for the first time. On the Grand Prix, they competed first at the 2023 Skate Canada International, placing first in both segments to win the gold medal. They broke the 140-point threshold in the free skate for the first time, and set a new personal best in total score as well. Stellato-Dudek commented afterward: "I am very happy, which is a rarity. We have been waiting for a performance like this for years!" At the 2023 Cup of China, they won the segment and earned a 4.06-point lead over Italians Ghilardi/Ambrosini, despite Stellato-Dudek putting a hand down on their throw. They said the event was a test for them given the travel to China. The free skate proved more difficult, including an aborted final lift, but they still won that segment as well and took another Grand Prix gold. She said afterward that they were "exhausted at the start of the program and it was fight from beginning to the end, but we are happy with the outcome."

Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps entered the 2023–24 Grand Prix Final as one of the perceived gold medal contenders. After minor mistakes on their jumps and throw, they finished narrowly second in the short program, 1.34 points back of new German team Hase/Volodin and 0.92 ahead of Italians Conti/Macii in third. They had problems with both jumps and throws in the free skate as well, dropping to third place overall, albeit 2.13 points back of first. Both said that they had higher expectations, but Stellato-Dudek added that "we showed that even with big mistakes on the elements, we can score pretty high."

At the 2024 Canadian Championships, the duo finished first in the short program, but only by 0.82 points over Pereira/Michaud after errors on both their throw and side-by-side jumps. Despite jump errors in the free skate Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps won that segment by a wide margin and took their second consecutive national title. They both said that they had done considerable work on throw improvements in the leadup. Returning to China for the third time that season for the 2024 Four Continents Championships in Shanghai, where Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps faced reigning Japanese world champions Miura/Kihara, who were returning to competition after an absence due to injury. The Canadians won the short program despite Deschamps falling on his triple toe loop attempt. They won the free skate as well, despite Stellato-Dudek hurting her arm on the landing of their opening triple twist and a later jump error by Deschamps, and took their first Four Continents title. Saying they were very happy with the result, Stellato-Dudek added there was "definitely still a lot of growth in the performance, we know we can do a lot better than that, and we're looking forward to doing that at Worlds." With this accomplishment Stellato-Dudek became the oldest female ISU championship gold medalist in history. Later in the month at the 2024 ISU Skating Awards, she received a Special Achievement Award in recognition of "her exceptional determination, trailblazing impact, and role as an inspiration to all."

At the World Championships, Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps won the short program with a new personal best score of 77.48, an advantage of 3.95 points over Miura/Kihara in second place. In the free skate, Stellato-Dudek stepped out of the end of her jump combination attempt, but the program was otherwise clean. The team came second in that segment, 0.27 points behind Miura/Kihara, but remained in first place overall and took the gold medal. This was the first World title for a Canadian pair since Duhamel/Radford in 2016, and the first for Canada in any discipline since Kaetlyn Osmond in 2018. Stellato-Dudek, at 40, became the oldest woman to win a figure skating World title in any discipline, breaking a record set by 38-year-old German-Finnish pair skater Ludowika Jakobsson 101 years prior. Her feat attracted notable media coverage, and praise from competitors, with bronze medalist Hase remarking "it's amazing. We were all bowing in front of you. You have my highest respect." Stellato-Dudek said the gold medal was "a dream come true," adding that she hoped it would encourage athletes to stay in the sport longer.

Competitive highlights

 * GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
 * JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
 * CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
 * C – Competition was cancelled
 * WD – Withdrew from competition
 * Medals at team events are awarded for the team results only. Individual placements at team events are listed in parentheses.

Pair skating with Maxime Deschamps (for Canada)

 * Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships.
 * Medals at team events are awarded for the team results only. Individual placements at team events are listed in parentheses.

Pair skating with Nathan Bartholomay (for the United States)

 * At national events in the United States, pewter medals are awarded for fourth place.