Are Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps Out of Medal Contention in Italy?

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Excidra

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It breaks my heart to see them struggle as they have the past two seasons. They are my favorite pairs team. They seem to have lost the drive and command of the ice that won them a world title. The GPF was probably the last opportunity for them to produce a statement performance and they ended up in last place.

At this point do they even have a chance at medalling if all the top teams produce their planned content at the Olympic. Why didn't they try to bring in outside perspective to help with the struggle with the triple salchow? At one point I thought they were on the path to Olympic Gold but it seems like at this point top 10 finish should be considered success for them. What are your thoughts?
 
No, they're not in realistic medal contention and will likely be in the bottom half of the top 10. Aside from the triple salchows, they're having synch issues on the triple toes and general lack of consistency on all of the difficult elements.

And all of that is OK. They've had their fairy tale moment. They've exceeded all expectations. It's fantastic that they're still around and competing. The competition is better because they'll be there.

Why not celebrate that there's a 42-year-old woman competing (with a 34-year-old man)? That a 40-year-old woman won Worlds? They defied the odds, but age and time are catching up to them, as they do to everyone. Even if they finish 10th in Milan, they'll go out with a record that could stand for 100 years or more.

As Paul Wylie once said, "how much of a Cinderella story do you want?"
 
Rob Brodie in his 12/20/25 Substack post:
While they finished sixth in the field of six in Nagoya, Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps weren’t nearly at their best. But the point is, they are in the game and you know they’ll do everything possible (and way beyond that) to take their biggest and best swing in Milan. The odds will be largely against them but hey, they’re used to that.
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With the way things have gone this season, I think anything could happen. The only ones who have been consistent in their performance are Conti and Macii but they'll have the pressure of competing at home. It could boost them or it could crush them.

Kihara and Miura have dominated competitively but their skates have been flawed and who knows whether her shoulder will hold up.

Fabienne Hase and Volodin have all the potential to be #1 but they've not yet skated clean this season.

Sui and Han may or may not have regained their endurance.

And the Metelkina and Berulava seem to have lost their consistency, which was their primary asset.

So, while I wouldn't bet on S-D/D taking the gold, I think they're still in the mix for a medal depending on what happens on the day, but also agree with PC that just making it to the OLYs is a victory.
 
Private Citizen said:
No, they're not in realistic medal contention and will likely be in the bottom half of the top 10. Aside from the triple salchows, they're having synch issues on the triple toes and general lack of consistency on all of the difficult elements.

And all of that is OK. They've had their fairy tale moment. They've exceeded all expectations. It's fantastic that they're still around and competing. The competition is better because they'll be there.

Why not celebrate that there's a 42-year-old woman competing (with a 34-year-old man)? That a 40-year-old woman won Worlds? They defied the odds, but age and time are catching up to them, as they do to everyone. Even if they finish 10th in Milan, they'll go out with a record that could stand for 100 years or more.

As Paul Wylie once said, "how much of a Cinderella story do you want?"
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I agree that they've had their swan song. But I am still holding on to hope that they have a bit left in the tank to defy logic and get them on the podium in Italy.
 
In some ways, I appreciate that FS is more based on how skaters actually perform on the day. IN the past, especially with dance, you knew how the competition would end before it even started...............I hated that. I would rather it be a true competition even if my favorites do not always win. I can still cheer and hope but they have to skate to win.
 
One more point..... :soapbox:


I used to hate when someone skated badly and said "but I had fun out there and at least I was able to skate the program to the end." Skate to win (sorry but at this level why else). :wall:
 
I don't see them making the podium. They just don't have the speed, flow and confidence of the other top teams. I do think they should bring back the SP and LP that won them World though. It might not help them medal but those two programs were so perfect for them in term of music choice and choreography; Nothing they've skated to since then have match those programs.
 
In response to the question in the thread title . . .

No.

They've grown by leaps & bounds in many ways and need to skate with an appreciation for that improvement, confidence, and the ability to accept a mistake as part of the journey. They aren't the favorites, and that's OK. There are a lot of pairs teams in this game.
 
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I agree with others. No, they aren’t in medal contention unless many, many things go wrong.

At the GPF, they did not look like they belonged, which does not make me think they have any realistic hope of a medal.

But they have so much to be proud of. The Olympics are only every four years and not everyone can have their moment that year, but they have had some amazing moments!
 
I enjoy them a lot. I've spent time with Deanna and think she's freaking awesome. (Maxime is a really lovely guy too.) I cheer for them and want them on the podium but it's an uphill battle for sure. They should be so proud of themselves, with winning Worlds in Montreal, it's such an achievement regardless. One reason I began skating again in the last few years was because when talking to her about it I think it was Skate America in Norwood Deanna encouraged me to get back on the ice (I was like meh it's been awhile), and told me to go for it since I loved it so much, age and skill doesn't matter, do what you love.
 
Vagabond said:
Why else? Because sometimes to expect victory is to expect too much. Doing one's best, trying new things, entertaining the spectators, and enjoying challenges are all good reasons to compete.
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ok, I cede to the point. If you can afford to skate for fun and compete, that is great.
 
Winnipeg said:
ok, I cede to the point. If you can afford to skate for fun and compete, that is great.
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Elite skaters have to skate many hours a day every day for years and years. They have to enter many competitions, and most of them will not be favorites in most competitions. They have to try things out that may not work in order to eventually get consistent at them. If they did not have fun and only cared about winning all the time, how would they go through everything they need to go through to be successful in the end?
 
I could see many reasons to continue without liking to skate but continuing to compete:

  • Parental pressure
  • Partner pressure
  • Coach pressure
  • Federation pressure
  • Feeling a patriotic duty
  • Trying to get on that last Olympic team — see Wagner, Ashley
  • Being paid to skate
  • Not seeing anything else in one’s future
  • Need results to get invites to the tours
  • To get full envelope money
  • To set an example for younger skaters
Plus there can always be periods of frustration, injury, boredom like in any pursuit that athletes push through to see if anything changes.

Does every elite athlete skate at the Olympics or Worlds or Nationals compete to win, which is different from trying to do one’s best? Some may be delusional, and many hope to build on the results and experience for the future, but for many athletes, getting the team jacket or skating at a Nationals or Olympics is the culmination of a dream for which I have full respect. And bully to the people take that and who go on to school or to change professions.
 
These posts bring to mind a remark by Debbie Armstrong, who earned a gold medal in giant slalom at the 1984 Winter Olympics to the effect of, "I was always the girl who finished third if one of the girls ranked above me fell."

Entering the Olympics, her only World Cup top ten finish in giant slalom was a fifth place in late January, and her sole career World Cup podium came three weeks before that; a third in a Super-G.

I doubt that she went in to the giant slalom in Sarajevo intending to win, but she did win.

Snow is slippery. ⛷️
 
Another variable is that athletes often get sick during the Olympics and DSD/MD both have had their share of illness

I wish masking was more popular, especially for travel.
 
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