Stellato-Dudek, Deschamps 'in the perfect place' heading into Olympic year

Former world figure skating champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps are feeling lighter heading into the Olympic year.

The 2024 gold-medal pair carried the heavy burden of defending their world title through an underwhelming follow-up season.

Now they're back where they're most comfortable: on the hunt.

"We're in the perfect place," Stellato-Dudek said. "Maybe this was the spot that we were meant to be in to give us the fire to push and to get back on top, versus feeling the pressure and the expectation to stay there."

Her partner seconds that emotion.

"It's fun to look at what is in front and to really chase it," Deschamps said. "When you have the target in front, it's clear what you have to aim for."

After their historic win on home soil in Montreal, Stellato-Dudek — who at 40 became the oldest woman to win a world title in any discipline — and Deschamps couldn't repeat the success at the same level.

In spite of winning two gold medals on the Grand Prix circuit and repeating as national champions, they rarely felt satisfied.

The subpar showings, by their lofty standards, caught up with them at the Boston world championships, where they finished fifth largely due to a season-low score in the short program.

They also faced their fair share of "treacherous obstacles," as Stellato-Dudek described.

Deschamps fell ill with a severe fever in November, wiping them out of December's Grand Prix Final. Stellato-Dudek, now 42, also fought through shoulder, ankle and wrist injuries.

A key reason for the letdown, they feel, was having "no off-season at all."

Days after winning world gold in Montreal, Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps jumped into touring for months, appearing in Stars on Ice events in Japan before returning