Toronto-based writer likely yelling on Twitter about the Leafs, Raptors, or *gestures generally at society*.

<p>On a Wednesday in Milan, a pair of Canadian Olympic figure skating stars finally got their long-awaited medal.</p>
<p>Ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, competing in their third Olympic Games together, <a href="https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-fourth-olympic-bronze-medal-ice-dance">managed to land on the podium</a> with a bronze medal, the first of their respective careers.</p>
<p>In the &#8220;Starry Night&#8221; themed outfits and dancing to the song “Vincent,” the duo put up a performance for the ages, finishing third behind duos representing the United States and France.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TYq27zdsOvI" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>But back in 2023, Gilles had a medical scare that could&#8217;ve ended her career abruptly: a bout with ovarian cancer. Though she&#8217;s now cancer-free, she admits that the doubts crept in about whether it could be the end of her athletic career.</p>
<p class="p3">“It’s like, ‘Am I gonna have to stop skating? Am I going to have to go through chemo?’ There was so much unknown,” she said in the <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/82010449" target="_blank">Netflix documentary <em>Glitter &amp; Gold: Ice Dancing</em></a>. “I was lucky enough to just have surgery, like, we didn’t know how bad it was because it was a nine-centimetre cyst with the tumour, I believed, attached to it&#8230; It took about two and a half years for me to feel like myself.”</p>
<div class="ad__child-0 ad__slot--wrapper ad__w300 ad__h250 ad__align" data-instance-child="hH6Kt5WMN_">
<div id="inline-box2" class="ad__slot ad__h50--inner" role="presentation" data-cmd="true" data-unit="6dhu0d" data-google-query-id="CILT-rbm0pIDFbsjlgkdXj05iQ">Gilles has also mentioned many times in the media how the passing of her mom in 2018 has pushed her just that much more to keep skating at a high level.</div>
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<p>&#8220;In those moments, you don&#8217;t really realize how strong you are, and I&#8217;m just so proud of any of the hurdles that have been put in front of me,&#8221; Gilles said to fellow Canadian Olympic star Tessa Virtue <a href="https://gem.cbc.ca/her-story">in a recent sitdown for CBC</a>.</p>
<h2>What&#8217;s next for the Canadian Olympic figure skating stars?</h2>
<p>Following their ice dance performance in Milan — which very well could be the final one of their career on the world stage — both partners were visibly overcome with emotion.</p>
<p>“Seeing Paul get super emotional, like that doesn’t happen often,” <a href="https://olympic.ca/2026/02/11/anything-is-possible-as-gilles-poirier-shine-on-olympic-ice-dancing-stage/">said Gilles following the skate, per the COC</a>. “But again, that’s what it takes to have an Olympic moment like that.</p>
<p>“We just let it all out, and to be able to finish like that, we’re just so unbelievably proud of what we’ve accomplished, I guess.”</p>
<p>Both 34 years old, the duo have skated together since 2011. Gilles, who was born in Illinois to a Canadian mother, actually previously competed for the United States with partners Zachary Donohue and Timothy McKernan.</p>
<p>Poirier, meanwhile, competed alongside Vanessa Crone for the first decade of his career, which included a home appearance at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.</p>
<p>Given that they&#8217;ll be 38 at the next Olympic Games (and that they were the second-oldest pairing in the Olympic field), age would suggest that competitive retirement could be in the duo&#8217;s near future.</p>
<p>For now, though, they&#8217;ll be able to bask in the glory of finally achieving a lifelong dream.</p>
<ul class="article-see-also"><strong>You might also like:</strong><li><a href='https://dailyhive.com/toronto/canada-fourth-olympic-bronze-medal-ice-dance' target='_blank'>Canada snags fourth Olympic medal after dazzling ice dance performance</a></li><li><a href='https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/how-many-canadians-italys-olympic-hockey-roster' target='_blank'>Here&#039;s how many Canadians are on Italy&#039;s Olympic hockey roster</a></li></ul>


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On a Wednesday in Milan, a pair of Canadian Olympic figure skating stars finally got their long-awaited medal.