By, Debbi Wilkes

I’ve been so fortunate to have lived my life in our beautiful sport.  

Not only has it encouraged the development of both my inner creative self and my outer athletic self, it has taught me life lessons which I’ve depended on though-out my career.  Tops of my list? The pursuit of goals, working hard to achieve them, managing pressure, building friendships, and encouraging a personal relationship with a world outside Canada. 

There were many unexpected lessons along the way too … you know, those experiences which reach far beyond the ice rink and whether a quad is landed cleanly. And of course, with the beautiful city of Prague hosting this year’s global event, I’m reminded of some of those stories from the past … at times either inspiring or traumatizing … each one of them important from so many perspectives. And as you might expect at any competitive event, similar challenges await our team in Prague including a few that may not be anticipated despite all the prep and planning. 

If you’re a skating nerd like me, you’ll know in the 130 years since the World Figure Skating Championships began, the city of Prague has rarely hosted the event. 

Following the inaugural World’s in 1896 in St. Petersburg, Russia, Prague has hosted only 2 ½ times…  the ‘half’ in 1961 when the event was cancelled last minute in honor of the victims of the horrific plane crash in Brussels which killed the American team on route to Prague. The event was rescheduled in Prague a year later and hosted again in 1993. Each of those events has been steeped in remarkable history both on and off the ice, particularly for Canadian athletes, many calling Ontario home. 

In 1962 it was a banner year for Canada at World’s. No competitor placed below 6th and our skaters won two World titles, one in Pairs for Otto and Maria Jelinek, and the other in Men when Don Jackson landed the first triple Lutz in competition, a feat not repeated for years!

Thirty-one years later in 1993 it was strangely close to deja vu. Once again our men dominated, Kurt Browning winning gold in Men followed closely By Elvis Stojko winning silver. And showing our depth in Pairs, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler also came home as World Champions. 

What about Prague 3.5?  

A post-Olympic Worlds is always a different bunch of skate bags.  

Sometimes Olympic champs take the medals and run; other times the Olympic favorites are back at Worlds to prove their Olympic win was no fluke. And finally, countries often make strategic decisions based on who might get the best result, a fact which determines how large a team may be sent next year. With some competitors opting out of World’s this year, potential movement up the placement ladder can be a tantalizing draw.

How will the Canadian team make its mark in 2026?  

There are some exciting possibilities, and if history can repeat itself, it might happen again in Men and Pairs. 

Stephen Gogolev put on quite a show in Milan and made people sit up and take notice. And in Pairs, Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud have become strong medal contenders. In Women, Madeline Schizas will likely have recovered after disappointment in Milan and will be determined to improve her standing. 

From the current scuttlebutt, it seems Olympic Dance medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier will also be in Prague, and with the back-up of other excellent teams alongside, multiple dance medals are a possibility. In any case, full dance participation next year is pretty much guaranteed. 

To sum up … World’s is looking to write a whole new chapter in the skating story … some familiar faces and some fresh new ones destined to take the podium. 

To stay up to date and savour all the highs and lows of this elite competition, come along with me and Pj Kwong for a behind-the-scenes journey at this year’s World Championships, right here on the Skate Ontario website. 

We’ll reminisce about what World’s has meant in Canadian skating history, chat about what stories are unfolding today and look ahead as we move into the next Olympic quadrennial. 

I’m #SkateOntarioProud.