U.S. Figure Skater Jeremy Abbott Takes Massive Spill At Sochi, Completes Routine

by uInterviewFebruary 14, 2014, 12:00 amNews >

Jeremy Abbott, a U.S. champion figure skater, nearly ended his run at the Sochi 2014 Olympics on a painful fall, but managed to persevere through his program with class and skill.

Jeremy Abbott Falls During Short Program

When Abbott attempted his quadruple toe loop, he crash-landed onto the ice and proceeded to slide into the boards surrounding the rink. After several seconds, the clearly pained Abbott slowly rose back up onto his skates, gingerly holding his right hip. Starting up again slowly, Abbott went on to complete his routine with the encouragement of the enthusiastic crowd.

"The second I stood up and the crowd just started screaming, I had to finish," Abbott told NBC after the skate. "In my mind I was like 'do I go to the referee? Where do I go?' I was just kind of in a big jumble and in a lot of pain. But I when I heard the crowd behind me, I have to finish this for them. I have to do this for them."

The rest of Abbott’s routine went nearly flawlessly, earning him a score of 72.58 from the judges. At the end of the short program, he finished 15th out of 29 skaters. The gold medal for the men’s figure skating event went to Japan’s Yuzura Hanyu. His performance saw him awarded an astounding score of 101.5, which made him the first skater ever to achieve a score greater than 100.

While Hanyu made have made history, Abbott inspired. Among those praising the skater for his endurance through adversary was women’s figure skater Ashley Wagner.

@jeremyabbottpcf showed true grit and strength after that awful fall. Proud of you! So admirable #nevergiveup #Sochi2014

— Ashley Wagner (@AshWagner2010) February 13, 2014