Yevgenia Medvedeva withdrew from next week’s world figure skating championships due to a recurrence of a right foot injury that kept her out of competition in December, according to the Russian Figure Skating Federation.
The absence of the two-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist makes training partner and Olympic gold medalist Alina Zagitova an even bigger favorite at worlds in Milan, Italy.
Medvedeva joins the other 2017 World champions — Yuzuru Hanyu, Sui Wenjing and Han Cong and Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir in missing worlds.