Chan, Howe withdraw due to health while leading U.S. championships
Winning the pairs short program was enough for Emily Chan and Spencer Howe at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
The duo, who had been sidelined all season while Howe recovered from a torn labrum in his shoulder, scored 65.86 points on Thursday to sit atop a crowded leaderboard in Columbus, Ohio. But hours later, Chan and Howe withdrew from the remainder of the competition so that he could continue his recovery from the surgery last May.
“Tonight was a big success for us, and a huge milestone to our comeback,” Howe said in a statement, “but we feel we want to take this time to continue to get healthy and set ourselves up for success.”
Chan and Howe could still compete at the world championships in March in Montreal, where the U.S. will send three teams. But they will need to file a petition, and U.S. Figure Skating said Chan and Howe had signaled that is their intention.
Their withdrawal from nationals meant Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, who were right behind with 64.57 points, moved into first place heading into the free skate Saturday. Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman were a surprising second with 64.21 points.
The women’s competition is shaping up as a dual between Amber Glenn and defending champion Isabeau Levito.
Glenn briefly took the lead Thursday night when she landed her triple flip-triple toe loop combination along with a double axel and triple loop for a career-best 74.98 points. The 24-year-old yelped in surprise and delight when her score was read in the kiss-and-cry area, putting Glenn on top of the leaderboard as Levito stepped onto the ice.
The 16-year-old, countering Glenn’s speed and power with grace and elegance, was similarly flawless on her jumping passes. It was an impressive rebound from Grand Prix Final, where Levito struggled mightily in her short program, and her score of 75.38 points would have put her third in the world this season if it was an international competition.
“I have a new short program and hadn’t…
