Canadian ice dance champions and 2008 world silver medallists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir withdrew Thursday from the upcoming Skate Canada competition in Ottawa. Virtue, 19, wasn't healthy enough to compete at the Oct. 30-Nov. 2 event after undergoing surgery to relieve pain in her shins brought on by chronic exertional compartment syndrome, a condition that stems from overtraining.
"I'm so lucky that it's something that could be fixed," Virtue told CBCSports.ca. "I'm already feeling so much better, and the surgery was just about two and a half weeks ago, so that's encouraging at least.
"I should be back on the ice fairly quickly. I just can't wait."
Virtue and Moir, who both hail from London, Ont., hope to return for the NHK Trophy competition in Japan at the end of November. That's the last of six stops on the ISU Grand Prix tour.
Virtue said her surgeon had "great things to say" after a checkup on Wednesday, but since the healing process varies for each athlete, she's not sure when she'll be able to return to workouts. That leaves her status up in the air for the event in Japan.
"We'd love to be there. [The NHK Trophy] is one of our favourite competitions," Virtue said. "But I can't rush the healing process. I just have to take it easy and gradually increase the training. If we're ready to go, we'll be there for sure."
Moir, 21, is working out at the team's training site in Detroit.
“I’ve been working both on and off the ice to keep in shape," Moir said in a statement. "I’ve been focusing on developing more power and speed, because you have to skate well on your own, as well as skating well with your partner. We hope to be ready to compete at NHK Trophy as planned, and we are definitely looking forward to the rest of the season.”
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