Figure Skater Gracie Gold Pulls out of Events Due to Depression, Eating Disorder

Gracie Gold, who was a part of the United States mixed figure skating team that captured a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics, announced Friday that she has withdrawn from upcoming Grand Prix Series events due to "depression, anxiety and an eating disorder," according to ESPN.com's Bonnie D. Ford."It saddens me deeply to sit out this Grand Prix Series, but I know it is for the best," Gold wrote. "I will not have adequate training time to prepare and compete at the level that I want to."I would like to thank U.S. Figure Skating, my fans and my sponsors for their ongoing support. I also want to thank [coaches] Marina [Zoueva] and Oleg [Epstein] for standing beside me through this journey and most of all my family for their unconditional love."Team USA'sTodd Kortemeiernoted the 22-year-old's announcement came after she said in September that she was taking a break from competition to"to seek some professional help" for unspecified issues."My passion for skating and training remains strong," Gold said in a statement at the time. "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."According to Ford, Gold is now unlikely "to bid for a spot on the U.S. team for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea" since she would have needed to put forth a strong showing in Grand Prix events in order to qualify for the national team.
Click here to read full news..