Team Canada closed out the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games on Thursday with a bronze medal in team figure skating. The Canadian team comprised of David Li of Richmond, British Columbia, Kaiya Ruiter of Ottawa, Ontario, Annika Behnke of Peace River, Alberta, Kole Sauve of Grand Prairie, Alberta, Audra Gans of Prevost, Quebec, and Michael Boutsan of Toronto, Ontario.
Team Canada came through with a total of nine points, one more than China, which finished in fourth place with eight points. South Korea won the gold medal with 13 points and the United States won the silver medal with 12 points.
This was a very strange team figure skating event to say the least. Only the United States and Canada had pairs teams, with Sauve and Behnke of Canada edging Cayla Smith and Jared McPike of the United States, 82.39 to 63.55. The fact that China did not enter a pairs team cost them a medal, as the rest of the Canadian team struggled in the event. Li finished fourth in the men’s, Ruiter was a surprise fourth in the women’s after winning the Canadian Championship at the senior level last month, while Gans and Boutsan were last in ice dancing.
Sauve and Behnke won two medals for Canada, as they won gold in the pairs event on January 29. For the closing ceremonies, Suave and Behnke were the flag bearers. Team Canada finished the Youth Olympic Games with six medals (three gold, two silver and one bronze) for a rather disappointing 13th overall finish. The United States recorded the most medals with 21 (five gold, 11 silver, and five bronze).
