42-Year-Old Skater Aims for Olympic Gold After 16 Years Away

At 42, most figure skaters are coaching or commentating, but Deanna Stellato-Dudek is just getting started on the Olympic stage.

The Canadian pair skater will make her Olympic debut at the Milano Cortina Games next month as the reigning world champion. She's not there for a nostalgic victory lap—she's going for gold.

Stellato-Dudek was once a teenage sensation who captured world junior silver for the United States. But a serious hip injury derailed her dreams when she was 17, forcing her to retire less than a year before the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics.

"My life was skating full speed ahead for my entire life up until that moment," she said. "Then it was like a slap in the face."

She built a new life as an aesthetician, but skating never fully released its grip. Watching the 2010 Vancouver Olympics was particularly painful as she kept turning the TV on and off, unable to watch others live her childhood dream.

The turning point came at a work retreat in 2016. During a bonding exercise, someone asked what she would do if she knew she couldn't fail.

"I would win an Olympic gold medal," she blurted out, surprising even herself. Two weeks later, she asked her mom if she still had her skates.

She partnered with Canadian skater Maxime Deschamps in 2019, trying pairs for the first time. In 2024, they became world champions, making Stellato-Dudek the oldest female world figure skating champion in history.

The physical toll is real—she's rarely without pain and still sore on Mondays from Friday's practices. She's also faced harsh criticism online about everything from her appearance to her age.

Why This Inspires

Stellato-Dudek refuses to let age define her limits. She sees her years as strength, not weakness—a lifetime of experiences that deepen her artistry on ice.

"I give my age no power," she said. "I've lived a lot of life. I've loved, I've lost—and I can portray those experiences on the ice."

She left the sport once before her time, and she's determined not to make that mistake again. Whether she medals or not, she'll continue skating until she decides she's done, not when others think she should stop.

Her message resonates beyond the rink: it's never too late to chase the dreams that never stopped chasing you.