Friday, September 26, 2003
Skater ends five-month comeback
Associated Press
RICHMOND HILL, Ontario -- Elvis Stojko retired for the
second time Friday after a figure skating career in which the
Canadian won three world titles and two Olympic silver medals.
The 31-year-old skater had announced April 29 he was making a
comeback following a 13-month retirement.
Stojko was the first man to land a quadruple combination jump in
competition. He added a new dimension to figure skating by
introducing martial arts themes.
His last major International Skating Union competition was the
2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, where he finished eighth. Injuries
hampered him his last two seasons.
Stojko informed his sport's national governing body after
returning from a week's rest in Florida. He had stopped full-time
training in early September after a virus sapped his strength.
"I am truly sorry that I will not be returning as an eligible
skater for Skate Canada," he said in a statement released by the
governing body in Ottawa. "I have worked very hard these past six
months."
He said he will be available to work with young skaters and will
skate professionally, appearing in tours in Canada and the United
States.
"I consider myself very lucky and fortunate that I have had the
honor of representing Canada for over 12 years and I believe that I
have made some contributions to figure skating in this country,"
he said.
Stojko spent the summer in his hometown of Richmond Hill outside
Toronto working on new programs he was to unveil at the Skate
Canada International meet in Mississauga at the end of October.
Stojko withdrew from a national team weekend camp in Kitchener
in mid-September.
"We all felt, and Elvis finally felt, that it was time for him
to move on with his life," said Ed Futerman, Stojko's business
manager.
Stojko won world titles in 1994, 1995 and 1997 and Olympic
silver medals in 1994 and 1998 -- the latter despite a serious groin
injury. In all, he won 22 gold medals, including seven at Canadian
senior championships.
"We understand how difficult this decision was for Elvis,"
Skate Canada chief executive Pam Coburn said. "An athlete's career
takes many turns along its course and the path is sometimes
unexpected."
Stojko is a member of the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
He has raced dirt bikes and appeared in movies. He was named after
Elvis Presley because his parents were big fans of the singer.
"Elvis gave it all that he could," Futerman said. "He
realized as he went along that it was taking its toll on his
strength and his health."
