Sarnia's Michael Marinaro and his partner Kirsten Moore-Towers have announced their retirement from competitive figure skating.
The three-time Canadian pair champions began skating together in June 2014.
Marinaro and Moore-Towers won their first of five national championship medals in 2017 and would land on the podium at that event every year after (bronze 2017, bronze 2018, gold 2019-2022).
They would go on to represent Canada at two Olympic Winter Games, placing 11th in 2018 and 10th in 2022.
Marinaro said it was an honour to represent Canada and the federation.
"It has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. I would like to thank everyone who has been a part of my training and support staff throughout my career. I will do my best to pass on all the valuable skills and lessons each and every one of you have taught me," said Marinaro. "None of this would have been possible without my parents. I would like to thank them for their endless support and giving me the opportunity to chase my dreams. Lastly, thank you to Kirsten for sharing this amazing journey filled with a lifetime of memories. It was a blast!"
Marinaro said a career highlight was qualifying for the 2018 Olympics.
"We went into the competition as underdogs, currently ranked fourth place in the country and we needed to be top three to grab that Olympic spot," he said. "We knew we needed to put out two personal best performances at that event to have any kind of a chance at qualifying for the games and we did just that. After dreaming about it for 20-plus years, having that moment finally qualifying for the Olympics was a pretty special moment. Mom and dad were there, a lot of family sacrifice went into that moment. All around, it was just the best day of my life."
Marinaro said another special moment happened about a month ago when he and Moore-Towers were touring Canada for Stars on Ice.
"I remember going down the ice, and three feet to my left was Elvis Stojko and three feet to my right was Kurt Browning. I just remembered skating down the ice with the biggest grin from ear to ear saying 'how the heck did I manifest this moment in my life, skating next to two of my idols?'"
He thanked the Sarnia-Lambton community for its unwavering support over the years.
"It means the world to me. You guys have had my back the whole time and made it easier to push through some difficult times," he said. "I just want to say 'thank you' to the community."
Together, Marinaro and Moore-Towers won seven ISU Grand Prix medals and qualified for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in 2019 where they placed fifth. They picked up gold medals at both the 2019 Nebelhorn Trophy and at the 2017 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic.
Moore-Towers and Marinaro represented Canada at four ISU World Figure Skating Championships placing in the top eight each time.
Before partnering with Moore-Towers, Marinaro skated with Margaret Purdy from 2007-2014. They saw success on the junior circuit, winning three medals in the ISU Junior Grand Prix series and placing fourth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in 2012. Marinaro and Purdy won silver at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in 2013.
Marinaro said he looks forward to staying involved in the sport and spreading his love and passion for figure skating.