Canada’s medal bid ends in Olympic team event

MILAN – Canada’s hopes of a medal are over with one segment to go in the Olympic figure skating team event.

Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud shattered their personal-best score with a stellar skate, but still finished fifth in the pairs free program Sunday.

Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., followed with a fifth-place finish in the women’s free program as Canada fell to fifth place with 47 points — five behind third-place Italy.

Toronto’s Stephen Gogolev will compete in the men’s free program to end the competition after sending Canada into the final with an outstanding performance Saturday.

Related Videos

3:14 Team USA Olympians, protesters speak out against ICE presence in Milan

• Team USA Olympians, protesters speak out against ICE presence in Milan
• What to expect from the Milano-Cortina Olympics
• Canadian Olympic snowboarder, medal hopeful Mark McMorris suffers ‘heavy crash’ in training
• Mikaël Kingsbury, Marielle Thompson named Canada’s flag-bearers for Milano-Cortina Olympics
• Milan Olympics: U.S. ICE agents’ presence sparks uproar in Italy
• Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir look ahead to Milano Cortina 2026
• NHL worried about Milan’s unfinished Olympic hockey arena
• Okangan curler coaching Japanese team at Olympics qualifiers
• Saskatchewan’s Maia Schwinghammer claims first moguls title on World Cup circuit
• Calgarians reject another Olympic bid, so will Canada ever host the Games again?

Previous Video

Next Video

The United States and Japan were tied with 59 points apiece heading into the final event. Georgia sat fourth with 50.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Teams are awarded points based on their placements in each event. The first-place country receives 10 points, the second-place team receives nine, and so forth.

Pereira, of Milton, Ont., and Michaud, of Trenton, Ont., scored 134.42 points to music from the film “Gladiator,” a revived routine from the 2023-24 season, pumping their fists in joy at Milano Ice Skating Arena after nailing every element except their throw triple loop.

Two-time world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan led the pack with 155.55.

Schizas, meanwhile, scored 125.00 after falling on a triple lutz to open her “Butterfly Lovers” program. Kaori Sakamoto then brought the house down with 148.62 points as Japan pulled even with the U.S.

Only five countries in the 10-team event advanced to the following short programs.

Canada has a history of success in the team event.

Ice dance greats Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir led Canada to a gold medal at the 2018 Games and a silver in 2014, the inaugural team event.

The country finished fourth at the 2022 Beijing Games behind the United States, Japan and Russia, which fell from first to third after teenage skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned substance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 8, 2026.