Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada compete in the pairs' short program segment at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya, Japan in December, 2025.Hiro Komae/The Associated Press
Listen to this episode by clicking above or subscribe to The Decibel on your favourite podcast app or platform: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts and YouTube.
Canadian figure skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek will make history this weekend at the age of 42, as the oldest female figure skater to compete in the Olympics in nearly 100 years. She’s had a remarkable journey to get to the Milan Cortina Winter Games, including 16 years away from the ice.
Today, Globe reporter (and passionate figure skater) Robyn Doolittle tells us the story of how Stellato-Dudek got to these Olympic Games, what it takes to become an elite athlete in your 40s, and how athletes are pushing the time limits of their careers.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com