Duhamel and Radford announce retirement

[4everchan]

In this French CBC article, Meagan and Eric announce that they will no longer compete. After the usual thank yous, they say that they will remain involved in the sport : Meagan is training in nutrition and wellness and wants to add to her arsenal the title of technical specialist. Eric wants to be involvd in choreography.

The 7 time Canadian champions, 2 times world champions (2 times bronze medalists) also won gold and silver in the Olympic team competitions (P/C and Sochi)
and bronze in pairs in P/C.

They were the first to land a quadruple salchow throw at the Olympics,

Meagan and Eric will be remembered for their powerful skating and their desire to push the pairs discipline with technical elements that few pairs have even attempted let alone succeeded regularly in competition.

Best wishes in your new adventures!

 

[MaiKatze]

Good luck Meagan and Eric in whatever comes next. A great career comes to an end and the pairs event seems a little less exciting in the years to come. We all knew that this was coming, but :sad21:.

 

[Arriba627]

I wish them well in their retirement. What a way to finish out their careers - with their 2 Olympic medals. I am hoping that somewhere down the road Meagan does some broadcasting. Her recent TSL interview was great and offered tremendous insight into the "nuts and bolts" of pair's skating.

 

[mrrice]

If ever there was a team who "Gave at the office" it was these 2. They remind me very much of Patrick Chan. So reliable and NEVER out the mix at any event. Best of luck and good fortune in whatever they choose to do in the next phase of their lives.

 

[Andrea82]

Skate Canada press release

OTTAWA, ON: Two-time world pair champions and three-time Olympic medallists Meagan Duhamel, 32, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 33, Balmertown, Ont., are retiring from competitive skating. Duhamel and Radford teamed up in 2010 and would go on to become one of Canada’s most accomplished pair teams.

“I am extremely thankful and grateful for the incredible journey that the sport of figure skating gave me. I’m thankful to my family, who were my first supporters and first fans; they instilled a work ethic in me that became the base of my success and they encouraged me to dream big. Thank you to all my coaches over the years at the Walden Skating Club: Lana, Becky and Nancy. Thank you to Lee Barkell and his team at the Mariposa School of Skating from 2000-2007 and to Bruno Marcotte, Richard Gauthier, Sylvie Fullum, Julie Marcotte and Ian Connolly, my team in Montreal since 2007, who took a chance on me and believed in me during times I couldn’t find faith,” said Duhamel.

Duhamel continued, “Most importantly, thank you to my skating partners: Ryan Arnold, Craig Buntin and Eric Radford. Ryan and Craig both gave me the fundamentals of pairs skating and the tools of how to work as a pair team so that I could eventually thrive with Eric. I cherish all the moments, both good and bad, with all three of my partners. Thanks to Eric for being the best partner anyone could ask for. One more big thank you goes to all the amazing fans of figure skating in Canada. It’s been a true pleasure to share my love of skating with you all. Thank you for supporting me over the years, I truly appreciate it. Although I’m leaving the competitive world of figure skating, I will never leave the sport completely. Figure skating was my first love and I want to spend the rest of my life with this sport, in many different capacities.”

“I could never have imagined that my skating career would be filled with so many incredible and unforgettable moments. From the outdoor rink in Balmertown to the Olympic podium, there were many people whose unwavering support made it all possible and gave the journey so much more meaning. Thank you to my parents and family for believing in me and my dream from day one, to my fiancé Luis for inspiring me and giving perspective to the most difficult times, to my friends for cheering for me no matter where I was in the world and to the team of coaches, Bruno, Julie, Ian, Richard and Sylvie that made Meagan and I the best pair team we could be.” said Radford.

“Finally, I want to thank Meagan. Her incredible drive and determination always pushed and inspired me to be my best and I’m so happy we got to share all those amazing moments together. I couldn’t feel prouder that we got to represent Canada around the world throughout our career. Your love of our sport and the support you show all the athletes have given me some of the best and most special moments in my career,” finished Radford.

Duhamel and Radford won their first of seven consecutive Canadian titles in 2012 and hold the record for most national titles won by a pair team. They competed at two Olympic Winter Games, winning three medals. At the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi they won silver in the team event and at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang they won bronze in their individual event and gold in the team event. Duhamel and Radford have won four medals at the ISU World Championships, winning back-to-back gold in 2015 and 2016.

“Meagan and Eric have been champions and innovators in pair skating. Their drive to push the sport forward by executing advanced elements has truly inspired a new generation of pair skating,” said Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada. “They have been staples on our national team for two quadrennials and their presence will be missed. Skate Canada thanks Meagan and Eric for their dedication to excellence and wishes them the best of luck with their future plans.”

At the 2018 Olympic Winter Games they became the first team to complete a quad throw salchow in Olympic competition. Over their career they won 14 medals on the ISU Grand Prix circuit and four medals at the ISU Grand Prix Final, winning the event in 2014. They also earned four medals at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, winning gold in 2013 and 2015.

“Meagan and Eric have been leaders worldwide in the pair discipline as they pushed the technical boundaries, which made them one of the best pairs in the world and an inspiration to future pair teams,” said Mike Slipchuk, High Performance Director, Skate Canada. “Their passion for the sport and accomplishments are evidence of their hard work and dedicated work ethic, always striving to be the best. We thank them for letting us enjoy this amazing journey with them.”

Duhamel and Radford are both currently living in Montreal, Que., and plan to stay involved in skating together through skating shows and seminars.

Duhamel is working on her lifestyle brand Lutz of Greens and has been involved with the Humane Society in the rescuing of dogs. She is finishing her studies in nutrition with a specialized certification in Sports and Fitness Nutrition and Vegetarian Nutrition and plans to develop a wellness program for figure skaters. Duhamel also plans to take the training to become a technical specialist.

Radford’s future plans include pursuing music and eventually composing for film, as well as coaching and choreography in skating. He is also planning his wedding to Spanish ice dancer Luis Fenero.


https://skatecanada.ca/2018/04/pair...eric-radford-retire-from-competitive-skating/

 

[cruzceleste]

Good luck to them.

 

[merleice]

Best wishes to Meagan and Eric! I can’t say I was a big fan but I liked their athleticism and Meagan’s infectious enthusiasm. I always enjoyed seeing them in competitions and I will miss them.

 

[demarinis5]

Best of Luck to Meagan and Eric! I will miss seeing Meagan in the K&C chatting away and dissecting her own performance.

 

[Ladskater]

First of all congrats to both Meagan and Eric! They're probably two of the best athletes and one of the best pair teams ever produced in Canada. They've never let us down, first class people all the way. I'm sure what ever capacity they continue in skating will really benefit Canadian figure skating. I thank them for doing Canada proud and wish them both well in the years ahead. Their presence in competitive skating will be missed!

 

[aname]

https://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog/status/990024987221417987

@mhjd_85 & @Rad85E’s first performance since announcing their retirement! Loving this program! #starsonice

Another little clip: https://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog/status/990024987221417987

 

[WeakAnkles]

Some things to thank them for that spring to mind:

1. Thank you Eric for being the first active top tier skater to come out as a gay man during the height of your career. And it didn't hurt his career one iota (don't you love when another "truism" is shown to be-- let's be polite and call it--utter nonsense). :cool2:

2. Thank you Megan for showing what the Olympic spirit is all about: cheering EVERYONE on to be the best they can be. And for the remarkably candid and insightful interviews with TSL post-Olympics. If CBC or another network doesn't hire you to do commentary, then they're fools.

3. Thank you both for showing that you can have a Pairs team that does NOT rely on manufactured romance to create memorable programs. There's more to life than the ooey gooey coaches and choreographers. D/R proved you can have a successful career without relying on the same old same old.

They will be missed.

 

[9am]

Thanks for many years of amazing and inspiring performances! Best of luck to Meagan and Eric!

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Amazing pair who really pushed the technical boundaries of the sport - even if the points system didn't really reward high-risk maneuvers, they still did them for the challenge and thrill of it. Two well-deserved World titles and Olympic medals of every colour!

 

[4everchan]

i believe they had the best LP at Olympics and would have loved to see them in gold.. but that's just me