MAKING HISTORY
Canadian duo snares world medals
HELSINKI Kaetlyn Osmond’s story is one of a remarkable comeback and doubts of recovery so deep she wondered if she’d ever skate again.
Gabrielle Daleman’s is of a teenager riding a meteoric rise, pitting herself against the world’s best with the steely nerves of a veteran.
Together, they wrapped themselves in the Maple Leaf on Friday and the future of women’s skating in Canada never looked brighter.
Osmond roared to a silver medal at the World Figure Skating Championships while Daleman captured bronze, marking the first time Canada has had two women on the podium at the event.
“It was such an incredible feeling,” Osmond said. “To be able to stand on the podium and see one Canadian flag raised is one thing, but to see two, it feels like you’re not alone. Figure skating is such an individual sport, but to have a teammate on the podium with you is unbelievable.”
The result is remarkable for Osmond, the 21-year-old from Marystown, N.L., who suffered a gruesome broken leg in 2014.
“When I broke my leg, I never thought I’d ever be skating again let alone be standing on a world podium,” she said. “I had to relearn how to skate, relearn how to even stand on one foot again. I had to relearn all my technique.”
Skating to La Boheme, Osmond confidently reeled off seven triple jumps to finish with a combined score of 218.13 points, setting a Canadian record. Daleman, a 19-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., collected 213.52 points, while Russia’s Evgenia Medvedeva shattered world records for both the short and long program en route to scoring 233.41 points.
The medals were Canada’s first in women’s singles since Joannie Rochette captured silver in 2009.
The results also mean Canada will have three spots in the PyeongChang Olympics.
Earlier, ice dance darlings Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir put themselves in the driver’s seat heading into the free skate after roaring to 82.43 points, breaking their own world record in the short dance.