In this in-depth Golden Skate interview, Gabrielle Daleman reflects on her remarkable career, her 2018 Olympic experience and team gold medal, the injuries and surgeries that kept her away from competition, and her difficult and triumphant journey back to the ice. And the two-time Canadian champion’s competitive spirit is as brilliant as ever.

Daleman opens up about moving to Colorado to train, the pressure of earning Olympic-qualifying scores, and her emotional experience at the 2026 Canadian Championships. She also discusses her motivations to compete this season, the creation of her new programs, feedback from High Performance Camp, and the state of women’s figure skating in Canada.

The conversation also takes a more personal turn as Daleman discusses the pressures of growing up in the public eye, the crushing impact of social-media criticism, body-shaming and sexism in figure skating, as well as the tension between her ambitions and the physical demands of a long career.

In the interview, Daleman discusses:

• Her 2017–18 Olympic season and winning Olympic team gold
• Relationships with her 2018 Olympic teammates
• The injuries and surgeries that interrupted her career
• Her decision to return to competition
• Training in Colorado alongside elite skaters like Amber Glenn
• The pressure surrounding Canada’s women’s World Championship spots
• Her experience at the 2026 Canadian Championships
• Being an Olympic alternate and traveling to Italy
• Her gold-medal goals this season
• Her new programs and music choices
• Feedback from High Performance Camp
• Becoming one of the veterans of Canadian skating
• Social media and the pressures of competing in the public eye
• Body-shaming and sexism in figure skating
• The physical realities of continuing a decade-long senior elite career
• Her present competitive mindset