Pneumonia can’t stop Daleman
VANCOUVER — Gabrielle Daleman missed the ice dearly in the three months she spent rehabilitating after abdominal surgery.
So when she captured the women’s singles title at the Canadian figure skating championships on Saturday — her 20th birthday — Daleman paused to appreciate the rocky road she’d travelled to get there.
“You become way more grateful for what you’re able to do and how lucky you are when you can’t do it, and that’s what’s really changed me this past year,” Daleman said. “It is the absolute best birthday present I could ever ask for.”
Toronto’s Patrick Chan set a record with his 10th Canadian championship. Chan, 27, scored 181.26 in his free skate to capture the title with 272.24 total points.
Daleman underwent emergency surgery for an abdominal cyst last May that she said saved her life.
Skating to Rhapsody in Blue on Saturday, the skater from Newmarket, Ont., scored a Canadian record 229.78 points, landing seven triple jumps despite battling pneumonia. Kaetlyn Osmond of Marystown, N.L., fell twice to finish with 218.73.
Larkyn Austman of Coquitlam won bronze with 169.62.
Earlier, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir captured their eighth Canadian figure skating title, in their final appearance in the event. And Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, who are also retiring after Pyeongchang, won their seventh consecutive Canadian pairs title.
Osmond and Daleman roared to an historic silver and bronze medal performance, respectively, at last year’s world championships in Finland, setting up a fierce rivalry on the virtual eve of the Pyeongchang Olympics, where they’re both within striking distance of the medal podium.
“This [national title] means so much more to me,” said Daleman, who won the gold in 2015.
“You’re competing against No. 2 in the world. She’s a very tough competitor, she pushes me.
“When I’m home training, I make sure I picture in my mind what would she be doing, and I try to push harder.”
Daleman had been battling chest congestion for a couple of weeks and had pneumonia diagnosed on Thursday. Unable to sleep on Friday, she called her boyfriend in Toronto at midnight, falling asleep about 1:30 a.m., then had a 4:30 a.m. wakeup call for a hair and makeup session and a morning practice.
The illness and fatigue certainly wasn’t noticeable in her powerful skating and huge jumps, and her score that topped Osmond’s previous Canadian record by about 10 points.
“I didn’t even care that I couldn’t breathe, I just skated from my heart,” Daleman said.