in memory of ice adolescence (may she rest in peace), i'm sharing my favorite yuri on ice program!
out of all the covers i've seen of the yoi free skate, i think this is the one that comes the closest in terms of choreography and musicality, complete with the pretty transition from the spread eagle to ina bauer! haha, here i am bringing back a skating cover that i haven't thought of in six years but immediately remembered upon mourning the loss of the yoi movie :')
Deanna Stellato-Dudek: 2000 Junior World Silver Medalist → 2024 World Champion
At the age of 40, Deanna Stellato-Dudek is the oldest woman to win a World Championships title in figure skating, with her pairs partner Maxime Deschamps for Canada. Deanna Stellato was the 1999 Junior Grand Prix Final Champion and 2000 Junior World Silver Medalist in the women's singles discipline. She retired from competitive skating in 2001, and returned as a pairs skater in 2016.
40 years is the new 20. That's what I'd like to say. [This record is] not something that I ever set out to do when I came back to skating, but I knew that if I were to accomplish my dreams, it would inevitably occur, because I'm the oldest everywhere. But it's something I carry with pride, and I'm very proud of it. I hope a lot of athletes stay around a lot longer. I hope it encourages people to not stop before they reach their potential. And I hope it transcends into other areas, not just in sports, but also in other areas of life [...]
[My 15-year-old self] would say, why did we stop? We're still skating, you know, 25 years later? I think my younger self would think I'm crazy, so she wouldn't think much of it at all. And she wanted to win the 2006 Olympics [...]
-- 2024 World Championships Free Skate Press Conference