Defying Age Limitations, American Figure Skater Vows To Make Olympics: “You’re Gonna Respect Me”

In a sport often associated with youthful prodigies, Deanna Stellato-Dudek stands as a testament to perseverance and determination. At 40 years old, an age where many athletes consider retirement, she is continuing her figure skating journey by setting her sights on the ultimate goal to the Olympics. Since her return to the sport in 2016, initially representing the U.S. with Nathan Bartholomay and now donning the colors of Canada with partner Maxime Deschamps, Stellato-Dudek has defied conventional notions of athlete limitations.

In a recent interview, Stellato-Dudek expressed her newfound dedication, stating, “I feel a lot more like I’m a lifer in figure skating… I’ll be paying attention to it for, you know, probably the rest of my life.” She now, after a long exile from the sport, is rising like a phoenix from the ashes.

Stellato-Dudek’s Olympics dream glides smoother than her skating maneuvers

Deanna Stellato-Dudek is back to capturing the spotlight, after 16 years of shirking the sport of figure sport. Eight years ago, she embarked on a comeback after a nearly two-decade break due to injuries that interrupted her stellar junior career. In an interview with Olympics.com she told with too excitement, “For certain people, they’re maybe just uncomfortable with me being somebody who’s outside of the box of what’s typically seen in figure skating in general and also in pair skating. My goal is that if you don’t like me, that’s OK. You know, if you don’t like that I’m skating at this age, that’s okay… but you’re gonna respect me.” So now teaming up with Maxime Deschamps, they will compete for ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, a city close to their hearts and Max’s hometown.

Deanna Stellato-Dudek’s statement encapsulates the dichotomy of her experience, “I feel so much love and support I would say like 95 percent of the time, and then there’s like five percent of the [fans] where it’s like, it doesn’t matter what I do. I can’t do anything right”. Stellato-Dudek is Deschamps’ ninth partner in a 15-year international career. But since they paired up in the spring of 2019, the goal for the two veterans has never shifted – the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics.

Remarkable journey to win Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics underway

Deanna Stellato-Dudek had a successful junior career, winning the U.S. junior national title in 2000 and earning a spot on the U.S. national team. However, injuries soon derailed her trajectory, forcing her to take a break from competitive skating. In 2016, fueled by a renewed passion for skating, Stellato-Dudek made a remarkable comeback to competitive figure skating. Last month, the pair won their biggest title till date at Four Continents, beating the reigning world champions Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi.

Stellato-Dudek also finished fourth at Worlds last year, this pair won both their Grand Prix assignments in the first half of the season. Through hard work and a relentless pursuit of excellence, Deanna has proven that age is no barrier to achieving one’s dreams in figure skating. Heading to Montreal as podium contenders, fans are eagerly waiting to see her clinch glory!

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