Canadian pair champions Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud open Skate Canada International in Kelowna on Friday coming off a Nebelhorn Trophy win.
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Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud say their roles on Canada’s figure skating team have shifted this season, moving them into a more natural leadership position as Skate Canada International gets underway in Kelowna, B.C.
Pereira, 22, said the change became clear during Canada’s high-performance camp this August, when newer pair skaters started asking questions and the duo realized they had “already lived through most of the answers.”
“You realize that, oh, wow, we are pretty seasoned here,” Pereira said, adding that a “mom-and-dad energy” has always been part of her day-to-day routines at her club because they skate with junior and novice pair teams.
Now Canadian champions, world bronze medallists and among the most experienced members of the national pairs group, Pereira and Michaud arrive at Prospera Place as co-favourites among eight teams.
They enter the event after winning last month at the Nebelhorn Trophy, a Challenger Series competition in Germany, and after capturing world bronze in March. Pereira described the Nebelhorn win as a confidence boost, saying they joked about feeling nervous because they “remember, we know how to compete.”
A year ago, Pereira and Michaud were largely working outside the spotlight, with Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps drawing more attention in Canadian pairs. In the off-season, Deschamps announced his retirement, while Stellato-Dudek has returned to compete for the United States with a new partner, Danil Siianytsia.
Pereira and Michaud also acknowledged ongoing transitions in the broader national landscape. Veteran ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier have so far stopped short of calling it a career, while deciding to skip the Grand Prix season.
In an earlier conference call, Pereira said they had “so many great mentors and models ahead of us,” and that taking on the leadership role feels “really cool how full circle it’s become.”
Their approach heading into Skate Canada includes focusing on the elements they control, Michaud said, adding: “It’s not like we’ve changed as people or as competitors, but it’s definitely just allowed us to have another tool in our toolbox.”
This season, the duo is working with two new programs: Pereira said their short program is a samba, while their free skate features “Dawn of Faith” by Eternal Eclipse.
Training this summer included improving their movement with Russian ballet instructor Vlad Romanshcenko, who is trained in samba, and trips to London, Ont., to work with ice dance specialists Madison Hubbell, Adrian Diaz and Scott Moir.
The Canadian duo are attempting to return to the Grand Prix Final for the first time since 2023, while Michaud said their goal after last season’s breakout—highlighted by an eighth-place finish at the Milan Cortina Olympics—is to deliver performances that resonate with fans beyond medals.
Elsewhere on the Skate Canada International schedule, Stephen Gogolev headlines the men’s competition. The 21-year-old Canadian champion has been limited by a lingering foot injury that will keep him from attempting some quadruple jumps in Kelowna.
Gogolev is joined in the 12-skater men’s field by French champion Kevin Aymoz and Japan’s Rio Nakata, a two-time world junior champion making his senior Grand Prix debut.
In the women’s event, Japanese skater Mao Shimada—who turns 18 on Friday—makes her highly anticipated Grand Prix debut. The four-time world junior champion has gone undefeated in international junior competition for four straight years and already owns two silver and two bronze medals at Japanese nationals, with challengers including Isabeau Levito of the United States and Estonia’s Niina Petrokina.
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