With five months to go before the 2018 Winter Olympics, U.S. figure skating star Gracie Gold said Friday she is stepping away from the ice to “seek some professional help” for an unspecified issue.
“My passion for skating and training remains strong,” Gold said in a statement released to USA Today. “However, after recent struggles on and off the ice, I realize I need to seek some professional help and will be taking some time off while preparing for my Grand Prix assignments. This time will help me become a stronger person, which I believe will be reflected in my skating performances as well.”
Gold, 22, will skip a scheduled competition in Japan on Oct. 7 but plans to participate in upcoming Grand Prix events in Beijing (Nov. 3-5) and Grenoble, France (Nov. 17-19), according to her statement.
Gold placed fourth in the individual competition at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and won bronze with the U.S. in the team event. She was the U.S. national champion in 2014 and 2016.
But she finished a disappointing sixth at the 2017 championships in January and her coach told USA Today afterward that the skater had been “in a deep, deep, deep depression.”
