World Figure Skating Championships: Canadian pairs skater makes history books on home soil as the oldest woman to win a world figure skating title in any discipline

Deanna Stellato-Dudek is the oldest woman to win a World Figure Skating Championships title

Dundee skaters Anastasia Vaipan-Law and Luke Digby have finished 20th at a World Championships pairs competition which was topped by a Canadian skater who gave up the sport as a teenager to return 16 years later – becoming the oldest woman to win a world figure skating title in any discipline.

Deanna Stellato-Dudek and her partner, Maxime Deschamp, scored 144.08 in the free skate final, scooping the gold medal with a total score of 221.56 to win the pairs competition. Ms Stellato-Dudek, 40, returned to skating in the pairs competition in 2016, after a 16 year break following the end of her singles career.

She is now in the history books as the oldest woman to win any world figure skating title.

Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada.

"It’s a dream come true,” said Ms Stellato-Dudek, who won a silver medal at junior level 24 years ago, before injury forced her to give up her singles skating career.

In second place was Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan, who scored higher than the Canadian pair in the free programme, but finished just behind overall.

Ms Vaipan-Law and Mr Digby, who were in 20th place after Wednesday’s short programme, qualifying for the final, said they were frustrated at small mistakes which they did not make in training.

"I knew there were little things here and there,” said Ms Vaipan-Law. “The score is beyond our control. There were things where we lost quite a few points. I’m always hoping to at least break 100, that’s a line in my head. ”

Anastasia Vaipan-Law and Luke Digby of Great Britain compete in the Pairs Short Program during the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

The pair, who placed 16th in last year’s World Championships, are to have their new short programme choreographed by ice dance legend Christopher Dean. The Olympic gold medallist has already choreographed their current free programme, which they plan to keep for next season.

"We’re already building towards [the Olympics], said Mr Digby, of the Winter Olympics which is due to be held in Milan, Italy, in 2026.

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Meanwhile, in the women’s competition, Great Britain’s Nina Povey finished 25th after the short programme and missed out on qualification for the free skate by just one place. Teammate Edward Appleby also did not qualify for the free skate in the men’s competition, finishing 38th.

Shoma Uno from Japan is leading the men’s field ahead of Saturday’s free skate, with 107.72 points. France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, who was one of the favourites for the competition, placed 19th after the short programme, scoring 77.49, after what he described as a “disappointing” performance.

In the women’s competition, which concludes on Friday, Loena Hendrickx from Belgium is in the lead with a personal best in the short programme of 76.98 points, followed by the US’s Isabeau Levito.