Beaming after Olympic bronze, ice dancers Gilles and Poirier aim to keep good times rolling at worlds

To no one’s surprise, a well-earned Olympic bronze medal — 15 years in the making — has hardly left the sight of ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier since they wowed millions of Canadians with a season-best performance in Milan.

Poirier’s can be spotted in various places after he returns home from showing it to several people.

"Everyone wants to see the medal, which is a lot of fun,” he told CBC Sports during a Wednesday video call with reporters.

"Mine's in my purse,” Gilles piped up. “I feel like I’m treating it like a passport. I don’t want to lose it or do anything with it [that might cause damage].

“Once we slow down, we’ll both find a place to hang it or store it. Right now, it’s literally an accessory.”

In five weeks since the Olympics, spending time with family has been top priority for the Toronto duo. They returned home, took a couple of days off and then it was time to prepare for a 13th appearance at the world figure skating championships, March 24-29 in Prague.

After worlds, the three-time Olympians will join the Stars on Ice tour and return home May 18 on Victoria Day.

The Olympics, said the Ottawa-born Poirier, could have been a “natural place” to call it a season. However, he and Gilles wanted the opportunity to perform and compete again while giving their families and new fans from the Winter Games a chance to see them skate one last time this season.

"We were very tired,” the 34-year-old noted, “but we’re getting ready for show season, so we had to be on the ice. As we started training, we felt excited at the prospect of going to Prague. That excitement coming through being tired, in the end, is what made the decision for us.”

Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier waltz to an Olympic bronze