Two-time US figure skating champion Bradie Tennell out with a broken ankle

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Two-time U.S. figure skating champion Bradie Tennell broke her ankle while working on a step sequence in practice and said Tuesday that the surgery will force her to miss the remainder of the Grand Prix season.

The 25-year-old Tennell has battled injuries throughout her career. She dealt with back problems that kept her out of competition leading up to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeonchang, where she helped the U.S. win team bronze. She also missed the leadup to the 2022 Winter Games with a foot injury and part of last fall with an ankle injury.

Tennell returned earlier this year to finish second at nationals and 15th at the world championships, and she was hoping to use those events as a springboard into this season. Tennell won lower-level events in Budapest and Shanghai and was supposed to compete in Grand Prix events in China and Japan before withdrawing because of the broken ankle.

Tennell said the injury occurred while warming up when she “caught an edge on a bracket and managed to break my ankle in a funky fall.”

She said that despite missing the rest of the season, “I'm on the mend and determined to come back stronger.”

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games