Duhamel, Radford bask in a golden era
Second chances at the highest levels of sport come few and far between. But Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford are certainly taking advantage of theirs.
The Canadian figure skating pair are basking in the afterglow of their win at the 2015 world championships in Shanghai, China.
“We were having a stellar season heading into championships,” Radford said, “and we knew we could win but we just didn’t think about it like that. We went there as if we were going to do a run-through back at home.”
The one word that rings through with Duhamel, from Lively, Ont., and Radford, of Balmertown, Ont., is maturity, and that may just have been the final ingredient that put them on top of the podium after a pair of bronze-medal finishes in the past two championships.
“We knew we had room to make some bobbles and still win, and that is what happened. You still have to deliver in the moment,” Radford said, “but when you actually do that, that’s what makes me feel the most proud. That’s what makes champions, that mental strength.”
He attributes the win to a few years of building consistent performances before the judges.
“There are a lot of extremely talented skaters who have potential to win but never do. ... The key is to deliver strong performances every time out.”
Maturity helped, too, when Radford decided last year to reveal his sexuality while still a competitive athlete.
“A big part was just feeling completely comfortable in own skin, in my life and in my skating. An opportunity presented itself when the Canadian Figure Skating Association announced a program to focus on LGBT issues in the sport.
“I didn’t put a lot of thought into it. I did my interview with Outsports, thinking maybe people who follow skating or have an idea who I am will notice, and then next day it was on the front page of the National Post.
“There has always been that stereotype around figure skating. ... I really want sexuality to become a non-issue in sport. Gay athletes should have no fear to talk about their lives. You have Jason Collins (the basketball player) and Michael Sam (the football player), those were big stories but I think as time goes on people will start saying, ‘Why are we talking about this?’’’
With the worlds past them, Radford and Duhamel will be aiming at next year, but also with the 2018 Olympics in South Korea in mind.
Radford will be 33 in Korea and says, “I’m pretty sure 2018 will be my last competition.”
Last season, he and Duhamel looked at their record and concluded that “we had an Olympic medal, we had world medals, we had the Canadian title and we were looking at our careers and thinking, ‘You know what? If we stop now, we will feel completely happy with our skating careers’.”
Duhamel certainly agrees with her partner of exactly five years.
The secret to what she calls their “perfect” partnership: “We are very lucky our temperaments balance each other. We do spend lot of time together but we have our own lives away from the rink, and that creates a good balance, too.”
As for Radford’s revelation about his sexuality: “Life is moving on. It was no secret to anyone who knew him. Now he’s let the rest of the world know. It doesn’t change much about our relationship.”
Off the ice, Radford composes music and often leads the way when they pick the pieces to which they skate, while Duhamel is a certified and committed nutritionist.
“My passion is naturopathic health,” said Duhamel, who practices what she preaches. “I follow a naturopathic whole foods diet; whole grains, fruits and vegetables.”
The spark was an injury that threatened the skating career of the 4-foot 11-inch Duhamel. Since changing her diet, she has been injury-free for five years. She is in the gym twice a week and also does Pilates, yoga and an intensive body movement stretching program essentrics, which has been specifically designed for a figure skater.
Now that the competitive season is over, Duhamel and Radford have rejoined Investors Stars on Ice for their third year. It lands in Ottawa on May 3.
“We like it,” Duhamel says. “We get to perform more lighthearted numbers. In competition, there are a lot of rules about what we can do; here we get to do tricks and throws that are illegal in competition. We get to be more creative.”
This summer, the skaters will take a bit of time off, during which time Duhamel get married, but before July is over the two of them will be back on the ice training to defend their titles as Canadian and world champions.