Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps win gold at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships

Deanna Stellato-Dudek, a former world junior silver medallist, clinches gold at the World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal. At 40, Stellato-Dudek becomes the oldest woman to win a figure skating world title in any discipline. Stellato-Dudek and partner Maxime Deschamps score a career-best 221.56, securing gold in pairs. The Canadian duo's victory earns them a thunderous minute-long standing ovation from the home crowd at Bell Centre. Stellato-Dudek's triumph denies defending champions Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi of Japan a second consecutive title. Despite missing months due to Kihara's back injury, the Japanese duo claims a silver medal with a score of 217.88. Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin secure bronze with a score of 210.40. Stellato-Dudek reflects humorously on her age, stating, "'Forty is the new twenty,' that's what I'd like to say," expressing pride in her longevity in the sport. After a 16-year break, Stellato-Dudek returned to skating in 2016, switching from singles to pairs and partnering with Deschamps after relocating to Canada from the U.S.