The 2026 Skate Canada International in Kelowna has come to a close, ending a weekend display of world class figure skating.
The Skate Canada International is the second competition on the annual ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix, featuring athletes from around the world who are trying to qualify for the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Final, which will take place from Dec. 10 to 12 in Chongqing, China.
This is Kelowna’s third time hosting a Skate Canada International Event after the competition was held in the city in 2014 and 2019.
The event reached its climax with a free dance competition on the final day – Sunday, Nov. 1 – where British skaters Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson won gold in. Two Canadians, Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain le Gac, came fifth in free dancing.
Canadian duo Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud were the highlight for their country, taking gold in the pair’s short programming competition and the pair’s free skating competition.
It was also a standout weekend for Mao Shimida, an 18-year-old figure skating prodigy from Japan, who won gold in the short programming competition and the free skating competition for the women’s division.
The Skate Canada International competition rounds out a year of marquee sporting events that came to the Okanagan’s biggest city in 2026. Other events held over the year include the Memorial Cup, Kelowna HoopFest, Touchdown Kelowna, and the BC Summer Games.