Incredulous of her worth in the sport, the 40-year-old Deanna Stellato-Dudek made history by winning the ISU 2024 Figure Skating World Championships recently in Montreal. Further aiming to grab the Olympic gold at a striking age of 40, the American pair-skater is ready to set foot on the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in the year 2026.

Currently competing with Maxime Deschamps, for Canada, the figure skater wondered if she could do it at this age. However, proving her childhood dilemma wrong, she has amazed everyone with her spectacular performance in the recent world championships. Boosted by this experience, she now stands to declare her conviction to grab the Olympic gold in the 2026 Winter Games.

Returning with a bang at 40, to win the World Championships

In an interview with Olympics.com, the Canadian admitted that her teenage self is sure to exclaim, “I’m still skating 25 years later?!” Though Deanna Stellato-Dudek had taken a long break from the sport till 2016 due to a lingering hip injury, when she decided to make a comeback at 32, she wanted to make it big by clinching the Winter Olympic gold at 40. And she is doing everything possible to ensure that.

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“[Next week] we get back to work immediately on next season,” the star figure skater declared. “I think if you fail to prepare, you’re preparing to fail. So the preparation starts now, and that’s a big part of the work to then be ready by the beginning of the season. And that’s really where I shine.” But what does her ‘younger self’ think of this?

Age bo bar on the path to the Olympics

Dreaming of winning an Olympic gold ever, the silver medalist in singles at the World Junior Championships added to her excitement, “I think my younger self wouldn’t think much of [me now] at all. She wanted to win the 2006 Olympics, so she would be wondering why I’m going to 2026.”, chuckled the 40-year-old figure skating winner.

Thus defying age limitations, Deanna Stellato-Dudek has her eyes now on the 2026 Winter Olympic Games along with her partner, Maxime Deschamps. While the veteran duo clinched the Worlds last year by finishing fourth, they were in the news to win both their Grand Prix assignments as well in the recent past. But has her age ever seemed a hindrance to her?

Who Is the Deanna Stellato-Dudek? The Oldest Woman to Win a World Figure Skating Title

Stellato-Dudek plays it straight, “I’m the oldest everywhere [I compete]. But, I mean, it’s something I carry with pride. I’m very proud of it…I hope it encourages people to not stop before they’ve reached their potential.” Understandably, it is not just a win over the opponents, it is also a win over a perception that the skater is trying to achieve.

Defying Age Limitations, American Figure Skater Vows To Make Olympics: “You’re Gonna Respect Me”