Figure skating: Gold pulls out of Grand Prix events, Olympic hopes dim

[October 14, 2017]    (Reuters) - Figure skater Gracie Gold's chances of making the United States Olympic team have diminished after she withdrew from two events in next month's Grand Prix series for personal reasons.

Gracie Gold during the ladies free skate in the U.S. Figure Skating Championship at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

U.S. Figure Skating said on Friday that Gold would miss competitions in Beijing and Grenoble, France due to ongoing treatment for off-ice matters.

"It saddens me deeply to sit out this Grand Prix Series, but I know it is for the best," Gold said in a statement released to media outlets.

"I am currently in treatment for depression, anxiety and an eating disorder. I will not have adequate training time to prepare and compete at the level that I want to."

Form during the Grand Prix series is taken into consideration for selection on the U.S. team, which will be named after the national championships in January.

The 2018 Winter Games will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea from Feb. 9-25.

Gold, 22, a two-time U.S. champion, finished fourth in the individual event in Sochi in 2014.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

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