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Maxime DeschampsCanadian pair skater
Date of Birth: 20.12.1991
Country:  Canada |
Content:
Childhood and Early Life
Maxim Deschamps was born on December 20, 1991, in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec, Canada. His parents are Franco-Canadian and French is his native language. He has a younger brother with whom he enjoys spending his free time.
His mother, Ginette Dumas, played a pivotal role in his success. She introduced him to skating and supported him through bouts of depression. Deschamps began skating at age six, but initially struggled to make significant progress at the junior level.
In 2013, he enrolled at the Université du Québec à Montréal to study Kinesiology, the science of human movement. After graduating, he became a figure skating coach.
Career in Pair Skating
Deschamps competed in pair skating, initially partnering with Allison Duga and Naomi Boudreault. In 2012, he competed at the Junior World Championships with Vanessa Grenier and won a Canadian Junior Championship in 2013 with her. However, the pair split in 2016 due to Grenier's decision to retire.
Considering retirement himself, Deschamps partnered with American Sidney Kolodziej. The pair struggled to achieve international success and eventually ended their partnership. In 2019, Deschamps teamed up with Diana Stettlato-Dudek, who had resumed her career after a 16-year hiatus.
The pair quickly became a dominant force in pair skating, winning the Four Continents Championships in 2024 and placing third in the Grand Prix Final in China. The suspension of Russian skaters led to increased competition, with several skaters emerging as contenders. Deschamps and Stettlato-Dudek's success was also partly attributed to injuries suffered by their rivals.
Personal Life
Deschamps prefers to keep his personal life private. On social media, he shares updates on his career and posts photographs from competitions and training sessions. He currently resides in his hometown of Vaudreuil-Dorion and enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends.
In October 2023, Deschamps revealed that he has Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), which he compares to a roller coaster ride. He credits skating with helping him focus, and his family provides support: "It can make life challenging, but at the same time, it pushes me to improve."
Recent Achievements
At the 2024 World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, Deschamps and Stettlato-Dudek captured the gold medal in the pairs event. A strong performance in the short program gave them a cushion, and despite a minor error in the free skate, they held on to their lead. They were joined on the podium by Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan and Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany.
The triumph validates Deschamps' decision to continue his career after facing setbacks and serves as an inspiration to young skaters. He and Stettlato-Dudek remain one of the top pairs in the world and are poised to make a strong bid for Olympic glory in the years to come.
