Steven Rice, one of Ziegler's coaches, revealed that she recently suffered some injuries that left her status in doubt prior to the U.S. Championships.
"We had a few setbacks in December, leading up to this," Rice said. "We actually didn't know if she was going to be here today. She sprained her ankle; then she had a sesamoid bone injury that affected the ball of her foot. She's been wearing a boot here all week, and she couldn't do Axels, Salchows, and toe loops for about three weeks. But Ava is a true fighter, and when it counts, she'll do it. She's very tough mentally."