Madeline Schizas climbs 3 spots to capture her 4th Canadian figure skating title

Madeline Schizas captured her fourth women's singles title at the Canadian figure skating championships Sunday in Gatineau, Que.

The 22-year-old from Oakville, Ont., scored 135.94 points in her free skate to Butterfly Lovers Concerto,posting a winning total of 200.86 to climb from fourth to first at Centre Slush Puppie.

"I wasn't going down without a fight, and I think I proved that today," Schizas said.

Gabrielle Daleman, a two-time Olympian, claimed silver with 195.35 points in her return to nationals for the first time since 2022 due to a series of severe injuries.

"At the end of the day, it took a lot of guts and a lot of courage for me to come back," she said.

"Was that the skate I wanted? No. Was it a bad skate? Also, no. I fought through the entire program. I'm not going to lie, there was a hell of a lot of pressure. It was great competition. She killed it. She knocked it out of the park — well-deserved."

Ontario's Madeline Schizas captures 4th national figure skating title, repeats as champion

Daleman, days away from turning 28, hoped to become the first Canadian women's singles skater to reach three Olympics. She broke down in tears after her program.

"I'm very hard on myself, I wanted this spot, didn't get it," she said. "The tears at the end was not just heartbreak. [I] was extremely proud. I was not able to get out of bed a year ago. I wasn't walking a year, and now I'm again on the national podium after being told I wouldn't skate or walk again.

"I have to give myself that grace. It's going to take probably a few days, but I'm gonna give it to myself."

Minsol Kwon, a 16-year-old from South Korea, took bronze (193.18). Kwon was released by her home country to skate in Canada domestically, but she cannot