Aug 27 (Reuters) - World champion pairs skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek will return to represent the United States and form a new partnership with Danil Siianytsia, U.S. Figure Skating said on Thursday.
Stellato-Dudek, 43, previously competed for Canada with Maxime Deschamps, winning the 2024 world championship and Four Continents title. The pair finished 11th at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in 2026.
The move reunites Stellato-Dudek with the U.S. program where she began her international career
more than two decades ago. Born in Park Ridge, Illinois, she competed in women's singles early in her career, winning the 1999 U.S. novice title and taking silver at the 2000 world junior championships.
After injuries forced her away from competition, Stellato-Dudek returned to the sport in pairs in 2016 following a 16-year absence.
"I'm incredibly excited to begin this new chapter with Danil," Stellato-Dudek said in a statement. "The United States is where it all began for me."
Her 2024 world title made her, at age 40, the oldest woman to win an ISU World Figure Skating Championships title in any discipline.
Siianytsia, 25, was born in Dnipro, Ukraine, and has represented the U.S. in pairs competition. Skating previously with Anastasiia Smirnova, he won the 2021 U.S. junior title, finished fourth at the 2022 world junior championships and captured the 2022 Golden Spin of Zagreb.
The new pair will train in Colorado Springs under coach Drew Meekins. They plan to enter the qualifying season for the 2027 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the governing body said.
U.S. Figure Skating high-performance chief Justin Dillon said the partnership combined Stellato-Dudek's experience with Siianytsia's potential as the program begins the four-year cycle towards the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps.
(Reporting by Rory CarrollEditing by Toby Davis)
