Skating fans don鈥檛 need to go across the Pacific next February to get a taste of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Just head down to Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre tonight for Stars on Ice to get your fill of potential Pyeongchang podium performers with Patrick Chan, Kaetlyn Osmond, Gabrielle Daleman, Eric Radford and Meagan Duhamel.
Yet, it was hardly an auspicious start on the path to Pyeongchang for Osmond, who doesn鈥檛 need to be reminded she was sixth at the 2011 Canadian junior championships on Blanshard Street. She skates tonight on Blanshard as the silver medallist from the 2017 world championships.
鈥淭his journey has been so unbelievable . . . it鈥檚 been crazy . . . this year has been a dream come true,鈥� said the Newfoundland native and Sherwood Park, Alta., based 21-year-old.
鈥淚 was missing something during my injury. I knew I had to prove something to myself.鈥�
That is exactly what Osmond did, adding to a notable Canadian haul at the 2017 world championships this spring in Helsinki, which included her silver medal and Daleman鈥檚 bronze in women鈥檚, and the gold medal by Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir in ice dance.
sa国际传媒鈥檚 three medals were the most by any country at the 2017 worlds. That was without defending two-time world pairs champions Radford and Duhamel making the podium in Helsinki because of Radford鈥檚 herniated disc in his back. And with three-time world champion and 2014 Sochi Olympics silver-medallist Chan fifth at the worlds as the reset from his post-Sochi hiatus continues apace.
鈥淚 did well, all things considered,鈥� said Chan, a regular over the years on Blanshard.
鈥淓ight months out [from the Pyeongchang Winter Games], I think Canadian skating is in a very exciting position.鈥�
About his own odds, the 26-year-old Chan added: 鈥淪port is chance. Men鈥檚 figure skating is in the midst of a big [and youthful] turnover and I鈥檓 playing catch-up. Technically, I am looking to add another quad in order to be up on that podium [in Pyeongchang]. No matter the result, I want to be satisfied with the performance.鈥�
Radford鈥檚 recovery, meanwhile, is coming along but he and Duhamel are limiting themselves to just one number in each of the 12 stops in Stars on Ice, of which Victoria tonight is the penultimate, before the final performance Thursday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
鈥淚 wish we were more a part of the show, but one number is better than being in no numbers,鈥� said Duhamel.
鈥淭his is where it鈥檚 at now. Every step we take over the next eight months is to get us ready to have the best skate of our lives in South Korea. We are right in the middle of living our dream. When we are healthy, we are hard to beat. We are capable of it [Olympic gold].鈥�
The hallowed past of Canadian skating will also be amply represented tonight with performances by four-time world champion Kurt Browning, three-time world champion and two-time Olympic silver-medallist Elvis Stojko and Olympic bronze-medallist Jeffrey Buttle.
