By Lori Ewing
, 2024 (Reuters) - World figure skating champion Deanna Stellato-Dudek became a Canadian citizen on Wednesday, making the Chicago native and her pairs partner Maxime Deschamps eligible to compete for Canada at the 2026 Milan Olympics.
Stellato-Dudek became the oldest female figure skater at age 40 to win a world title with Deschamps last March in Montreal, part of a remarkable comeback for the former singles skater who stepped away from the sport for 16 years.
The International Olympic Committee requires athletes to be a citizen of the country they are representing to compete at the Games, while the International Skating Union has less stringent rules based on residency.
Stellato-Dudek took her Oath of Citizenship on Wednesday in Montreal.
"So much stress lifted, so much hard work rewarded," she told reporters. "And now, I feel like Max and I, we're free to realize our Olympic dream.
"(It's been weighing on my mind) more than I can explain. So, I'm very happy today."
Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps are considered favourites to reach the medal podium in Milan. They won both their ISU Grand Prix assignments this season - the Skate Canada International and Finlandia Trophy - but were forced to withdraw from last week's Grand Prix Final as Deschamps was ill.
It is common to switch nationalities in figure skating, particularly in pairs and ice dance due to the search for a partner.
"It's a big relief for sure, because it was a big hurdle on our way to the Olympics," Deschamps said.
Stellato-Dudek, now 41, captured a world junior silver medal in singles for the U.S. but retired at age 17 after a series of debilitating hip injuries.
Her mother Ann cried during Wednesday's ceremony.
"I think she feels the way I do, in that this is such a huge stress lifted and now we can do what we do best which is work really hard to be as ready as possible to make Canada and ourselves proud," Stellato-Dudek said. "So I think she was crying from relief."
She left her job as an aesthetician to return to skating in 2016, with U.S. Figure Skating's high performance director Mitch Moyer suggesting she try pairs skating.
She moved to Montreal in 2019 when she and Deschamps, 32, announced their partnership.