Injured Kwan withdraws from Olympics

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After sticking around another four years, battling injuries through much of that time, Kwan’s body simply gave out during the Olympic season she hung in for. A hip problem sidelined her for the Grand Prix series, then the first groin injury grounded her for nationals.

She successfully petitioned for a spot on the squad, then impressed a U.S. Figure Skating monitoring committee on Jan. 27, earning her final approval for the Turin Games.

The plane flight to Italy and then marching in the opening ceremony last Friday caused Kwan to stiffen up. But it was on a triple flip during her only practice that she hurt the groin again.

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Hours later, she sat on a stage, holding back tears, her gold medal chase destroyed.

“I would love to compete in my third Olympics, but I love and respect the sport, and I think it’s all about the United States bringing the best team to the Olympic Games,” Kwan said. “I wouldn’t want to be in the way of that.”

So she will fly home, leaving the competition — the very sport itself — to the young and the healthy.

“I can’t even think past right now, just being in the moment, being here,” she said, biting her lip.

Then she was gone, tears streaming down her face as she left the auditorium. She’d cried before at the Olympics, but at least those two times, she was able to compete. Nothing could feel more empty than this.

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