Former world pairs champion Maxime Deschamps retires from figure skating

Canada's Deanna Stellato-Dudek, right, and Maxime Deschamps acknowledge the crowd after their performance in the pairs free skate figure skating event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

OTTAWA — Former world pairs champion Maxime Deschamps is hanging up his skates.

Skate Canada announced Tuesday that Deschamps is retiring from competitive figure skating after more than two decades in the sport.

The 34-year-old from Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., won 2024 world championship gold in Montreal alongside age-defying partner Deanna Stellato-Dudek and represented Canada at last February’s Milan Cortina Games.

Deschamps and Stellato-Dudek also captured the 2024 Four Continents title, multiple medals on the Grand Prix circuit and three consecutive Canadian titles from 2023 to 2025.

Skate Canada says Deschamps will stay involved in the sport as a coach with the Dollard Figure Skating Club and the Vaudreuil Region Figure Skating Club outside Montreal.

“Representing Canada on the world’s biggest stages has been an incredible privilege,” Deschamps said in a statement. “From my first days on the ice to becoming a World Champion and Olympian, I’m deeply grateful to everyone who supported me on this journey — my family, coaches, Skate Canada, and especially Deanna. Together, we achieved dreams that once felt impossible.”

“While it’s not easy to step away from competition, I’m excited to give back to the sport in a new way and help guide the next generation of skaters.”

The 43-year-old Stellato-Dudek, who at 40 became the oldest woman to win a figure skating world title in 2024, has not officially retired or publicly commented on Deschamps’s decision. Should she seek a new partner in her native United States, Skate Canada says it would grant her a release in accordance with International Skating Union guidelines, which include a 12-month competitive wait period.

Deschamps and Stellato-Dudek formed one of the most unlikely duos in figure skating.

Originally from the Chicago area, Stellato-Dudek was a world junior silver medallist in 2000 but a chronic hip injury forced her into retirement at 17. She made a comeback 16 years later and in 2019 moved to Canada to team up with Deschamps.

Deschamps had skated with eight other partners without achieving major international success and said he was considering retirement before his first tryout with Stellato-Dudek.

They made their Olympic debut together in Milan, finishing 11th in the pairs competition after nearly missing the Games when Stellato-Dudek hit her head in training weeks earlier.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2026.