Gilles, Poirier second after rhythm dance at figure skating world championships

PRAGUE — Olympic bronze medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier finished second in Friday’s rhythm dance at the world figure skating championships.

Gilles, from Toronto, and Poirier, from Unionville, Ont., scored a season’s best 86.45 points for their routine to RuPaul’s “Supermodel” and “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred.

“It was a really fun performance,” Poirier said. “We really enjoyed it. I think it was nice to have that little bit less pressure compared to the Olympic Games, and so we were really able to just enjoy the performance and be present in it, and the crowd was really awesome, so we had a great time.”

Olympic champions Laurence Fournier Beaudry, a Montreal native representing France, and partner Guillaume Cizeron held a commanding lead heading into Saturday’s free dance with a score of 92.74.

Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson were third with 85.09 points. Canada had two other pairs advance to the free dance — Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha in eighth, and Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac in 20th.

Gilles and Poirier, first-time Olympic medallists last month at the Milan Cortina Games, have two silver and two bronze medals from previous world championships.

Later Friday, Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., placed 15th in women’s singles after scoring 116.94 points in the free program. She finished with a total of 178.29.

“Today was a little disappointing,” Schizas said. “But I’m happy with being done with my season. I really pushed through the whole season, and I think you can see that we’re all a little bit ready for a break right now, so I’m happy with how I managed the last three weeks to skate pretty well today.”

Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto captured gold, bidding farewell to figure skating with a fourth world championship title before retiring as one of the most decorated skaters in decades.

Sakamoto finished with a personal-best total of 238.28 points to beat Japanese teammate Mone Chiba, who won silver with 228.47. Belgium’s Nina Pinzarrone took a surprise bronze with 215.20.

Competition concludes Saturday with the men’s free program and the free dance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2026.