PHOENIX — A figure skating team from Arizona is planning on returning to the ice in the Beijing Winter Olympics, but without one of the skaters.
Chris and Alexa Knierim won the bronze in pairs skating in the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.
But now Alexa Knierim will try to make it back to the Olympics without Chris.
Chris Knierim is from Tucson. He and Alexa had been skating together since 2014. they were married in 2016 and got their Olympic medal two years later.
They were on track to head back to the Olympics in 2022, even winning a third national title in January of 2020. But a month late Chris announced he was retiring from skating.
In interviews, he said he had been fighting injuries and depression. It all came to a head during a competition in February.
“He really supported me in continuing to compete," Alexa said. "He knew that I wasn't ready to retire from competitive skating."
Instead, Alexa found a new partner, and Chris signed on to coach them both.
Alexa and her new partner have already won a national title.
“I was lucky and fortunate that Chris was selfless enough to do that," Alexa said. "It must be very hard for him to see me skate with somebody else and have success and kind of swallow that pride.”
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