Comeback kids- skaters who made comebacks from illness or injuries

[Vash01]

Gracie's situation made me start this thread. We can look at these past skaters to use as inspiration for Gracie and others like her. I think most of them placed quite low in their first competition after the return.

Akiko Suzuki - great success story from anorexia to winning medals

Irina Slutskaya- 2005 world champion, 2006 Olympic medalist, after battling a serious heart condition. In 2004 she placed 9th or 10th at worlds, then BOOM!

Jamie Silverstein - Battled anorexia. Then made the US Olympic team with another partner.

Elena Berezhnaya- Overcame a serious head injury that threatened her life. Eventually two tine World and Olympic Champion.

Tania S. (I can't spell her last name) from Germany. She had a serious illness and she could not compete but she came back and competed at worlds. I think she won a medal at a GPF.

Please continue.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Wasnt an illness or injury but I do still consider Angela Nikodinov's transformation / comeback one of the greatest of all time!!!!

I do love a transformation!!!!!!

 

[Spun Silver]

Yuzuru - came back from an ankle injury that kept him from competing for three months before the Olympics this year. Which of course he won.

Gabriella Papadakis - came back from a bad concussion in Aug. 2015. Didn't compete all fall but came back and won everything.

 

[Spun Silver]

Deanna Stellato had to retire from skating at age 17 or 18 due to a plethora of injuries... and came back 15 years later as a pairs skater! Won pewter at her first Nats, bronze at her second, with Nate Bartholomay.

 

[googooeyes]

Kaetlyn Osmond had a severely broken leg that required surgery and seven screws to repair and came back to win a world title a few years later.

 

[Wyliefan]

Mai Mihara had arthritis so bad she couldn't walk. She made the Japanese worlds team just months after being diagnosed, IIRC.

 

[Spun Silver]

It's not illness or injury exactly (though there were those too) but Tiffani Zahorski stopped competing for years because she couldn't find a partner in France and Gailhaguet wouldn't let her skate for another country. My understanding is that at one point she almost gave up. But Gailhaguet finally let her go and she and her partner, Jonathan Guerreiro, just won medals at both their GPs and may go to the GPF!

 

[ZilphaK]

Not illness or injury, but Sasha Cohen came back to competition after a four year hiatus.

Caroline Zhang had hip surgery and came back with a pretty nifty 3L+3L and a much improved 2A.

 

[Spun Silver]

Satoko Miyahara had a hip injury related to low bone density which IIRC was caused in part by under-eating and overwork. I remember she had to learn how to eat properly. She missed the winter events and then injured herself again. A bit of a rough comeback that fall, but after that, lots and lots of medals.

 

[Vash01]

Plushenko had many back surgeries and he kept coming back. After the 2006 Olympics he did not compete for three years. He came back in the 2010?Olympic season and won the Olympic silver. He disappeared again from competing, had more surgeries, and came back in 2014 for the Olympics. He won the team gold.

 

[coppertop1]

Tania S was an odd one. She was diagnosed with a blood virus in 1996. The next season she won book her GP events and a silver at the GPF, then had to withdraw from the Olympics wasn't fully recovered for Worlds where she finished 9th. After that, she vanished.

Lu Chen: Struggled with injuries and fighting with her federation in 1996/97, finished 25th at 1997 Worlds. Came back to win bronze in Nagano.

Shen/Zhao: Zhao ruptured his Achilles' tendon in 2005. They came back to win bronze in Torino.

Kaetlyn, Slutskaya and Chen Lu are my favourite comeback stories. And

 

[Laney]

Wenjing Sui also had lots of injuries... and still has. But she came back and became world champion...

 

[tamms]

Daisuke Takahashi. Tore his ACL, took a season off to recover then came back to win bronze at Olympics, gold at Worlds. Both firsts for Japanese men.

 

[coppertop1]

Kaetlyn Osmond had a severely broken leg that required surgery and seven screws to repair and came back to win a world title a few years later.

Those people dissing Gracie should watch Kaetlyn Osmond's LP from Skate Canada. It's painful to watch but it makes her victories from 2016-17 and last season all the more inspiring. Comebacks are difficult.

 

[Limonite]

The most memorable for me is Nancy Kerrigan and the knee injury she suffered as a result of the attack in the weeks prior to the 1994 Olympics. She was lucky because recovered quickly.

(As Vash01 mentioned) Elena Berezhnaya's injury is another one I remember clearly. Not only did Oleg Shliakov caused it, but he also abused her physically for years. I read that, even after 20+ years of her head injury, Elena still forgets words when she is very nervous.

 

[coppertop1]

The most memorable for me is Nancy Kerrigan and the knee injury she suffered as a result of the attack in the weeks prior to the 1994 Olympics. She was lucky because recovered quickly.

(As Vash01 mentioned) Elena Berezhnaya's injury is another one I remember clearly. Not only did Oleg Shliakov caused it, but he also abused her physically for years. I read that, even after 20+ years of her head injury, Elena still forgets words when she is very nervous.

What happened to Elena bordered on negligence on Shliakhov's part. Accidents happen even with the best partners-- look at what happened to Jessica Dube. Shliakhov was, as you said, abusive, and he was careless. It's not surprising it happened. Elena was extremely courageous to come back and look at what she accomplishment with a great partner.

 

[puglover]

Tessa Virtue had surgery for chronic exertion compartment syndrome twice - in October/2008 and October/2010. They tell of a rift that had developed between the partners during and following the first surgery and vowed not to let that happen again. Problems still persisted and they did not want to face a third surgery so she and Scott worked hard to learn a better way of stroking to take the pressure off Tessa's shins and calves.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

During a training session, Jill Trenary had another skater's blade cut through her calf muscle to the bone. She was expected to walk with a limp. But after endless months of intensive physiotherapy, Trenary came back to win the 1987 US Ladies' Title.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Irina Rodnina - was dumped by her partner, as a skater and a woman. Returned with Zaitzev to win several Worlds and Olympics.

Alina Zagitova - had a broken leg, then a broken arm, almost quit skating, then Eteri offered to return. During this summer's training camp, she went into deep depression (from all the media and Med-fan attacks), wanted to quit skating, one day she ran out of the rink in her skates and kept running in an empty field until Eteri found her and made her come back. After that Zagitova was laying in her bed for several days not wanting to get out or skate and Eteri came to her house, made her get up and skate again. Few days before the GP event in Moscow, Zagitova fell into another "bad mental hole" and moved from her apartment into a hotel room, because she wanted to be alone. She said that "everything around her disturbed her", she did not want to talk to people or see anybody. She said she has no friends but her dog, because "who she thought were friends turned out to be two-faced/not-sincere". She only came to practices at Megasport, talked to her coaching team, fulfilled her endorsement and media obligations, and then hid in her hotel room. But she won, as she did in prior situations.

.. there are many more skaters with serious injuries and emotional states which almost prevented their return to ice..... But they don't talk about it in public, and yet return and win.

 

[Wyliefan]

I'm sorry to hear Alina has had such a tough time.

 

[whiteskates]

Pairs skater Tatiana Totmianina got a concussion during practise, recovered and came back and won Olympic gold.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Pairs skater Tatiana Totmianina got a concussion during practise, recovered and came back and won Olympic gold.

As well as that terrifying fall from a lift at Skate America in 2004. I still can't bring myself to watch that routine.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Pairs skater Tatiana Totmianina got a concussion during practise, recovered and came back and won Olympic gold.

Worse happened

As well as that terrifying fall from a lift at Skate America in 2004. I still can't bring myself to watch that routine.

That was my first Skate America, I saw that happen in person.... she didn't even respond while on the ice...... was so so bad.

Only one other thing terrifies me just as much, was Jessica Dube

 

[Seerek]

Tenley Albright's story (both childhood and just before the Olympics) is quite amazing.

 

[Simone411]

What happened to Elena bordered on negligence on Shliakhov's part. Accidents happen even with the best partners-- look at what happened to Jessica Dube. Shliakhov was, as you said, abusive, and he was careless. It's not surprising it happened. Elena was extremely courageous to come back and look at what she accomplishment with a great partner.

Yes, and I still cringe when I think of the skate blade hitting her face while doing those side by side spins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbvR90D5Q1Q

 

[Tinami Amori]

I'm sorry to hear Alina has had such a tough time.

Just to make sure my info does not sound like rumors or hearsay, here are the articles by Eteri and Zag confirming..

"Zagitova ran away into the cornfield in skates, wanted to quit, but we found her and talked to her.."
https://www.eurosport.ru/figure-skating/story_sto7015268.shtml
https://news.sportbox.ru/Vidy_sport...vylovili_ubedili_chto_nado_prodolzhat_katatsa

"Before the start, everything (everyone) makes me crazy. I want to stay alone in a hotel room."
https://sport24.ru/news/other/2018-...yet-besit-potomu-zhivu-v-gostinitse-a-ne-doma
https://rsport.ria.ru/figure_skating/20181116/1146081109.html

 

[gk_891]

Out of the ones not already mentioned, the ones that come to mind are:

At the 2000 Worlds, Albena Denkova was badly injured in a practice accident with Peter Tchernyshev. The damage was pretty serious and she had to be hospitalized. Coming back to training was apparently very difficult as her leg would become very swollen. Nevetheless, they managed to finish in the top 10 at both Europeans and Worlds at the 2001 Worlds.

https://www.newsday.com/sports/bulgarian-injured-in-another-mishap-1.335281

I honestly believe if that accident hadn't happened, Denkova & Staviski would risen up the ranks even faster. Because at the 2000 Worlds, they were in 8th place going into the FD. At the 2001 Worlds, they finished only 10th. Not only did that accident probably stall their rise up the rankings but it prevented them from establishing a better distance between themselves and Navka & Kostomarov.

If I remember correctly, Lu Chen had a foot injury in 1994 and 1997 but managed to come back a year later to win the Worlds in 1995 and win the Olympic bronze in 1998.

Midori Ito broke her ankle in 1985 but came back to skate well in 1986, 1987, and especially 1988.

Evgeni Platov had major knee problems in 1995 and 1997 and missed the grand prix circuit both seasons but he and Grishuk came back very strong both times.

And of course more recently, there was Yuzuru Hanyu who came back from injury to win the 2018 Olympics.

ETA - Sorry, I just noticed that Chen and Hanyu were already mentioned in this thread.

 

[coppertop1]

Yes, and I still cringe when I think of the skate blade hitting her face while doing those side by side spins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbvR90D5Q1Q

I know. Jessica was lucky not to get hit in the eye. That was a horrible accident.

 

[puglover]

Didn't Plushenko have several surgeries - like knee and back? As I recall, he skated in the team event in Sochi after back surgery and re-injured it so he pulled out of the individual event.

 

[Limonite]

G&G also had a serious injury a few months before the 1988 Olympics. Sergei dropped Katia during a practice; she took a hard fall and ended up in the hospital, putting their olympic season in jeopardy. Initially she was very upset and blamed Sergei for being careless, but later changed her mind when he saw how stricked he was when he visited her in the hospital.