Madeline Schizas captures 4th Canadian figure skating title, repeats as champion | #CBCSports

Our next skater, last year's, the current Canadian champion, 22-year-old Madeleine Skeesis from the Milton Skating Club. Madeleine is skating this free program to butterfly lovers choreographed by Alison Perkis. She says it's aimed to express the joy and heartbreak shared by the main characters to transform into butterflies. Well, Caitlin, you could sense in that arena with the audience the nervousness. It was quiet, so quiet during the skate as she just went from element to element and focus and concentrated and achieved. And that was a brilliant skate by Madeleine Skeesis trying to climb the ladder back to become Canadian champion. You're Canadian champion for a reason. Last year's champion, you have the ability to rise in occasions such as this. Really incredible skate for her. This is the best I've seen her skate in this free program, in both programs all season. And part of that she should feel relieved by, but you can see the nervous energy that she had at the end of the program because she's now done all that she can do and it's a waiting game to see how it plays out for the rest of the event. But here her jumping elements were so strong today. There was a look at her triple lutz triple toe. So solid and confident. You can see her head is being held high and focused going in. There's the triple flip. She saved most of her combination elements for the second half bonus. Her beautiful triple loop, the jump that evaded her in the short program. I knew she wasn't going to make that mistake again today. And then here again triple sow. So those were the first four jumping elements of the program and it really continued throughout. Again a second triple lutz. This one in combination with double axel. She says she's been working with a Chinese dancer on the choreography to make sure that all the elements were being, choreography was authentic to the style of the dance. We just saw the triple loop, double toe, double loop. And then the only jump that got away from her at the end of the program was the very last element. Turning her last double axel into a single. And she knew it there. She's done all that she can do, but she doesn't know if that axel will cost her. You know it's such a pressure moment. The olympic is, the olympic games is a dream for all athletes. And she was sitting in fourth, an unusual position for her after the short program. But she did her job. Absolutely. As you said, she has to learn to wait. Usually she skates last. In this case 135.94. So they're happy with that score. The 200.86 total competition score. Clearly in first place right now. Will it be enough for the competition? Well that will be up to the next three women yet to perform.