;Resize=620&w=780&resize=780,470&ssl=1 "World champion figure skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek to become Canadian citizen | CBC Sports")
World champion figure skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek is becoming a Canadian citizen.
Stellato-Dudek will take the oath of citizenship on Wednesday in Montreal, after which she’ll be eligible to represent Canada at the Olympic Games.
The 41-year-old pairs skater won gold with partner Maxime Deschamps at the world championships in March, becoming the oldest woman to win a world figure skating title.
Born and raised in the United States, Stellato-Dudek has lived in Canada and represented the country in international competitions since teaming up in 2019 with Deschamps, a 32-year-old from Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.
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Stellato-Dudek, a former world junior silver medallist, retired at 17 because of a hip injury until returning to skating 16 years later with a dream of winning an Olympic medal. The Chicago native initially skated with fellow American Nathan Bartholomay for three years before moving north to partner with Deschamps.
Stellato-Dudek said earlier this year she filed the necessary paperwork for Canadian citizenship. She also started an online petition that garnered nearly 10,000 signatures.
