5 Team Canada sports to watch this weekend: October 18-20
Winter sports are upon us!
This weekend will see the start of the ISU Grand Prix series for Team Canada’s figure skaters, the first big air World Cup for freestyle skiers and snowboarders, and the Canadian Championships for long track speed skaters.
However, there are still some warmer-weather sports to stay on top of, with a couple of Canada’s top triathletes in action at the 2024 World Triathlon Championship Finals, and several Olympians racing at the 2024 UCI Track World Championships.
Here’s what you don’t want to miss:
Figure Skating
It’s figure skating season! Five Canadians will be in action this weekend in Allen, Texas at Skate America, the first of six stops on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating.
Headlining the Canadian delegation is reigning men’s national champion, Wesley Chiu. The men’s short program will take place on Saturday evening, followed by the free skate on Sunday morning. Chiu’s career best Grand Prix result came in his debut at Skate America in the fall of 2022.
Two Canadian ice dance teams will also take to the ice in Allen. The event holds special significance for Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac as they won their first career Grand Prix medal at Skate America in 2022.
Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer are looking to build momentum after their recent performance at the Denis Ten Memorial Challenge, an ISU Challenger Series event, which saw them achieve personal best scores to win the bronze medal.
The rhythm dance will take place Saturday afternoon, with the free dance following on Sunday afternoon.
Freestyle Skiing/Snowboard
It is set to be an exciting weekend of competition at the Big Air Chur festival, the first big air events of the FIS World Cup season. Friday will feature the freeskiers, including Canadians Dylan Deschamps and Aidan Mulvihill. It was at Chur that Deschamps earned his first career World Cup podium and victory one year ago.
On Saturday, the snowboarders will take flight, including several top Canadians including Cameron Spalding, Eli Bouchard, Francis Jobin, Laurie Blouin and Emeraude Maheux.
Speed Skating
New Canadian champions will be crowned this weekend at the 2024 Canadian Long Track Championships, taking place in Quebec City from Thursday to Sunday. The results from this weekend will also be used to determine athlete selections for the ISU World Cup circuit this fall and other major international competitions.
If you’re in the area, tickets are available here.
Triathlon
Paris 2024 Olympians Charles Paquet and Tyler Mislawchuk will take on the 2024 World Triathlon Championship Finals in Torremolinos-Andalucia, Spain. The elite men’s race will take place on Sunday. Mislawchuk finished ninth at Paris 2024, while Pacquet finished 13th.
Track Cycling
Thirteen Canadian cyclists are taking to the velodrome in Ballerup, Denmark this week to compete in the 2024 UCI Track World Championships. Nine of those athletes–Ariane Bonhomme, Dylan Bibic, Ryan Dodyk, Mathias Guillemette, James Hedgcock, Fiona Majendie, Sarah Orban, Tyler Rorke and Sean Richardson–were with Team Canada at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. They are joined by Santiago 2023 Pan American Games team pursuit gold medallists Campbell Parrish, Chris Ernst and Kiara Lylyk. Lily Plante rounds out the team.
Bibic, world champion in the scratch race in 2022 and world silver medallist in the elimination race in 2023, will be one to watch in particular. A big focus for him will be the omnium on Saturday after he battled through illness just to finish the four-race event in his Olympic debut this summer.
