Canadian ice dancers Gilles, Poirier question judging after falling shy of medal at Grand Prix Final

Piper Gilles shook her head as the results appeared on the screen.

She and Paul Poirier just performed their purest free dance of the season at the Grand Prix Finals in Nagoya, Japan. The type of skating that has brought the Canadian duo to the world podium for three years in a row.

However, the judges saw it differently and the scores were not enough to bring home a medal.

“It’s definitely disheartening. We can’t lie, we are human,” Gilles said. “We skated two successful programs and emotionally and physically felt so fit and strong in those moments, [only] to question what we are doing, is it enough?”

The ice dancing veterans dropped from third place after the rhythm dance to fourth after the free skate, finishing 0.06 points behind Brits Laila Fear and Lewis Gibson in the first competition of the season between the world's top six teams.

In kisses and tears, Gilles' shaking head expressed her disappointment, and she was not alone. Many fans and experts believed that the Canadians, known for their creativity and skating skills, should have finished ahead.

“You can see the speed is not as comparable to what Piper and Paul have,” former Canadian figure skater Kaitlyn Osmond of the British told CBC Sports. This is a figure skating show giving them credit for being major performers.

“The difference in their skating qualities was extremely obvious.”

After the event, Gilles posted a quote on social media saying that the sport's truths are “diminished and manipulated by people for specific purposes,” and tagged the International Skating Union.

Her husband, Nathan Kelly, also responded to ISU's Instagram post, saying he was disappointed with the results. And even Gilles's dog account chimed in, siding with another dog account that questioned the judging.

A couple of days later, Gilles addressed her fans directly, saying that she was grateful to her team, partner, family and fans, despite the disappointing result.

“ISU and the state of ice dancing can't take any of that away from me!” she wrote.

I'm proud to speak up and share my concerns because if no one does, nothing will change.– Piper Gilles

Gilles admitted she had some fear of facing criticism from the sport's governing body – she also questioned the judging at last month's Finlandia Trophy after the technical panel's assessments baffled much of the figure skating community – but felt compelled to speak out.

“I felt like I needed to speak up and let my emotions out,” she said in a phone interview. “When my dog ​​made a comment to another dog, I think it was some kind of humorous play, but I can see how it could have looked bad.

“But I'm proud to speak up and share my concerns because if no one does, nothing will change.”

With Canada the top figure skating medal hope at the Cortina Games in Milan, the stakes are high for Gilles and Poirier as they compete in their 15th and possibly final season.

The two-time reigning world silver medalists entered the season with hopes of a spot on the podium and a chance at Olympic gold. Now their scores have dropped nearly 12 points behind reigning world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States, and not even a medal is a guaranteed achievement.

Poirier says competing for a spot on the Olympic podium is already difficult enough without questioning the judging system or wondering how points are determined from one event to the next.

“The standard is always moving,” he said. “It's very difficult for us to understand where the opportunities for improvement are.

“What we look for most, what athletes look for most, is clarity and consistency across all competitions.”

“We have to keep riding for ourselves.”

Gilles specifically pointed to quality of execution—points awarded for how well technical elements are performed—as an area that varies from competition to competition.

“I think for a team like us that has been on the world podium for the last few years and is aiming to become world champions, we're kind of at a loss as to where to go,” she said. “I know Paul, myself and our coaches, we have a plan of attack for the Olympics, but we have to keep skating for ourselves because we don’t really know what they want.”

Gilles and Poirier aren't the only skaters expressing concern. French Olympic champion Guillaume Cizeron, who won silver in the Grand Prix final with partner Laurence Fournier Baudry from Montreal, also spoke out after the rhythm dance at the Finlandia Trophy.

“I see strange games being played that are ruining ice dancing,” he said. “From a judge's point of view, I don't think I've ever competed in a competition like this in my career.”

Concerns about fairness in ice dancing are hardly new. It is the most subjective discipline of figure skating, especially vulnerable to politics and judging bias.

At the 1998 Nagano Olympics, one judge was recorded attempting to predetermine the results, and the scandal that initially cost Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier gold in 2002 allegedly stemmed from a vote swap deal between a pairs skating judge and an ice dance judge. This corruption undermined confidence in the sport and led to the introduction of a new judging system.

As the world's biggest competition approaches, Gilles and Poirier are determined to remain positive.

Poirier said they have received feedback from various officials and have outlined a “strong strategy” for Skate Canada and their coaches as they prepare for the second half of the season.

“We’re very excited to move forward in this direction,” he said. “We have a very clear idea of ​​who we are as skaters and what we want to show on the ice, and so we want to create the best opportunity for ourselves at the Olympics.

“Now we have plenty of time to step back, re-evaluate the programs, figure out what works and what doesn’t work… and slowly review them one by one.”