Tessa Virtue

Canadian ice dancer Tessa Virtue was born in London, Ontario, Canada, the youngest of four children born to Jim and Kate Virtue. She began skating with partner Scott Moir in 1997, paired by Moir's aunt, who was coaching both skaters at the time. In 2004 the pair won the Canadian Junior title, and by 2007 they were the country's top ice dancing pair, winning silver at the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships. They took the gold medal at the 2008 Four Continents Championships, though Virtue had a medical issue that kept the pair from Grand Prix competition in the 2008-09 season. After surgery in October, she returned to the ice in December 2008, and at the 2009 Canadian Championships the pair took gold again. In 2010 the pair began the year with a national title at the Canadian National Championships, took a gold medal in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games -- held in their home country -- and claimed their first World Championship. In the seasons that followed, medical issues dogged the pair, but they continued competing, earning a second-place at the 2011 World Championships, winning their fourth national title in 2012, as well as the gold medal at the 2012 World Championships, and two silver medals at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The pair took the 2014-15 season off, returning to competition at the 2016 Skate Canada International, where they took the gold medal. They remained undefeated for that entire season. In January 2018 they qualifed for the Canadian Olympic team, representing Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Once in PyeongChang, Virtue and Moir brought home the gold medal for Canada in the ice dance event.