Canadian figure skaters Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier put the dark times behind them with ice dancing bronze at the Winter Olympics after it had looked as if their career could be over following her cancer diagnosis.
Gilles and Poirier took bronze performing to the Vincent van Gogh tribute “Vincent” at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Wednesday night.
“Three years ago, when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, I don’t think I envisioned this moment,” said 34-year-old Gilles.
“It is a great example for anybody going through any kind of dark time, mental health or health issues, that you can do hard things, no matter what.
“If you can just get out of bed and keep believing in yourself and keep chasing your dreams, anything can happen.”
Gilles, wearing a bright blue costume that evoked Van Gogh’s art, and Poirier received huge cheers for their performance in their third Olympics.
“This bronze medal means everything to us,” she said.
“This 15-year-long journey hasn’t been easy. But Paul and I have stuck it out time and time again, and (we) choose to continue to show people who we are on and off the ice.
“If you continue to lead with your heart, anything can happen.”
France’s Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry took gold with 225.82 points ahead of world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States (224.39).
Four-time world medallists Gilles and Poirier achieved 217.74 pushing Italian couple Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri into fourth place.
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