Mirai Nagasu (R) will replace Polina Edmunds (L) at the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships.
A bone bruise on her right foot has forced Olympian Polina Edmunds to withdraw from the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships, scheduled to start next week at the TD Garden in Boston. Mirai Nagasu, the 2016 U.S. pewter medalist, now will be the third entry for the U.S. women’s team.
The injury limited Edmunds’ ability to train at full capacity leading up to the world championships, as she was unable to perform Lutz and flip jumps. A two-time national silver medalist, she placed ninth at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
“While the decision to withdraw is disappointing, I don’t want to compete at the world championships without performing my hardest technical elements,” Edmunds said in a U.S. Figure Skating release announcing her withdrawal. “I go to competition with the goal of representing Team USA to the best of my ability and performing my strongest programs. I will take time to recover and am looking forward to preparing for next season. I wish Team USA and all competitors at worlds the best of luck.”
Nagasu enters the world championships after a silver-medal performance at the 2016 Four Continents Championship in Taipei, Taiwan. Her 193.86 trailed only Satoko Miyahara of Japan and was more than 15 points ahead of the next-highest American, Gracie Gold, the reigning U.S. champion and three-time worlds team member. Ashley Wagner, the bronze medalist at the 2016 nationals and an Olympic bronze medalist in the team event, rounds out the three women who will represent the United States at the world championships.
