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NEED TO KNOW
- Canadian ice dancing duo Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are currently sitting in the bronze medal position at the 2026 Milan Olympics
- In their individual rhythm dance performance on Monday, Feb. 9, Gilles made a miraculous wardrobe malfunction save to prevent the pair from receiving a one-point deduction
- Gilles and Poirier will perform one last time in the games on Wednesday, Feb. 11 in the ice dance free dance competition
Canadian ice dancing duo Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are no strangers to the Winter Olympics and the tedious rules of professional figure skating.
The 2026 Milan Olympics are the third winter games for the longtime skating pair, who have already made quite the splash with their performances, and are currently sitting in the bronze medal position for ice dancing. Gilles and Poirier competed in the ice dance team event on Friday, Feb. 6, but it was their individual rhythm dance performance on Monday, Feb. 9 that has crowds talking.
Typically, after the pair's straddle rotational lift, they transition into their final pose with one of Gilles' hands grabbing her ponytail. Yet, in their individual rhythm dance performance, one of Poirier's wrist cuffs got stuck on Gilles' tights during the lift, causing her to make a miraculous behind-the-back save to end with the cuff in her hand.
If the wrist cuff had ended up on the ice, it would've resulted in an automatic 1-point deduction, allowing Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain to knock Gilles and Pirier out of the bronze medal position.
Figure skating fans on Reddit are marveling at Gilles' quick thinking and almost completely unnoticeable save.
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"Somehow she was able to grab it and hide it behind her back with what looked like magic...I wondered why she didn’t do the pony tail grab!!!," one Reddit user commented.
The theme for this year's rhythm dance competition was music from the '90s, with Gilles and Poirier performing to RuPaul's "Supermodel." Throughout their routine, Gilles and Poirier can be seen using their hands to form crowns on their head, posing for a fake camera, and taking major advantage of "hairography."
Going into their second 2026 Olympics performance together, the pair was looking for redemption with Friday's performance.
"We came into this event unsatisfied with our performance a few days ago, and that allowed us to sharpen our focus. It was such a joy to perform today," Poirier told CBC.
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Gilles and Poirier's 2026 Olympics journey will come to a close on Wednesday, Feb. 11, when they compete together in the ice dance free dance competition, meaning they have one dance left to compete for their first-ever Olympic medal.
Since both Gilles and Poirier are 34, it's rumored that their Olympic performance on Wednesday will be their final dance on the world stage.
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When the CBC asked the Canadian duo about the possibility of not winning their first Olympic medal at the games this year, Gilles immediately turned the idea down.
"I'm not putting that out in the universe," she said. "What we're going to try to encapsulate at the Olympic Games is just creating our own moment. This is for us. This has been our journey."
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.
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