World champion figure skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek has made a significant decision to return to the United States after a seven-year tenure representing Canada. She has formed a new pairs partnership with Danil Siianytsia.
Originally from Chicago and now 43 years old, Stellato-Dudek had previously competed for the United States in women’s singles over 25 years ago. In 2019, she transitioned to Canada’s program to skate alongside Maxime Deschamps, who announced his retirement from competitive figure skating in July.
Stellato-Dudek achieved a notable milestone at the age of 40 by becoming the oldest woman to secure a world figure skating title in 2024 with Deschamps under Canada’s flag. Their successes also included winning the 2024 Four Continents title and three Canadian championships. Following this, she acquired Canadian citizenship, enabling her to represent Canada at the Olympics.
Expressing her enthusiasm for the partnership with Siianytsia, Stellato-Dudek acknowledged her supporters and vowed to give her best to represent the USA proudly. She reflected on her journey in the sport, expressing gratitude for her experiences and excitement about the future prospects with Danil.
Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps participated in the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics, finishing 11th after facing challenges leading up to the event. Stellato-Dudek encountered a training accident less than three weeks before the pairs competition, but she received clearance to compete shortly before the event. Unfortunately, a fall during the short program dashed their medal hopes.
Siianytsia, aged 25 and hailing from Dnipro, Ukraine, has been competing for the United States in pairs since 2017, most recently with Anastasiia Smirnova. The new partnership of Stellato-Dudek and Siianytsia will undergo training in Colorado Springs under the guidance of Olympic coach Drew Meekins in preparation for the upcoming qualifying season for the 2027 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.