Langlois and Hay Out of Worlds

Canadian pairs skaters Annabelle Langlois and Cody Hay have withdrawn from this month's world championships, according to Globe and Mail. The 2008 Canadian champs had to withdraw because Langlois is still recovering from somewhat of a freak accident that happened last summer.

They were working on the opening move of their routine, and trying out some move in which Hay would turn around Langlois, who would glide on one foot, with Hay pushing her forward by her shoulder blades.

Their world went awry when Hay stumbled a little bit. Langlois, a native of Gatineau, Que., was wearing new skates that hadn't been fully broken in yet. Hay tried to push her upward so that his partner wouldn't hit her head on the ice, but her toe pick got caught on the ice, and she just kept moving forward with her leg caught under her.

She ended up in a Bielmann position on the ice, with her leg pinned behind her and beneath her, and swung impossibly toward her shoulder. As Langlois puts it: "I don't bend that way.'' The accident gave her a broken right fibula, which required a metal plate with five screws to be implanted on July 30. She lands all of her jumps and throws on the right foot.

The bone healed long ago. But Langlois has not.

The rest of the problem has been a bit of a mystery. Obviously there is still a soft tissue injury that still causes Langlois a great deal of pain. The pain increased just before the Canadian championships, when after more than five months of recuperation, Langlois tried jumping and landing throws again. A week before the nationals in Saskatoon, Langlois could not walk, because of the pain.

So sad. I hope someone can help them get her better for next year.