OFF THE ICE

Olympic Figure Skater Gracie Gold Is Taking Time Off to Seek ‘Professional Help’

Just five months before Winter Games begin.

Olympic figure skater Gracie Gold announced Friday that she is walking away from the ice before this winter’s Olympic Games “to seek some professional help.” She did not elaborate. “My passion for skating and training remains strong,” Gold said. “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. This time will help me become a stronger person, which I believe will be reflected in my skating performances as well.” The two-time U.S. figure skating champion and 2014 Olympic team bronze medalist is taking off just five months before the start of the 2018 Olympics in February. She will be missing the invitational Japan Open in October and her November Grand Prix assignments in Beijing and Grenoble, France.