Indian figure skater Tara Prasad announced on Tuesday her decision to pull out of the 2026 Winter Olympics qualifying event — the last one to clinch quotas for individual events.
“Hello, it was a difficult decision but I have withdrawn from the Olympic qualifying event. I was looking forwards to showing my improvement in skating regardless of the result, but I had a major setback this year with back pain,” the 25-year-old began on her Instagram story.
“And at the stage of recovery I am at as well as the nature of the injury, I have decided with my coaches and health professionals to withdraw so that I can skate safely in the future. Thank you to my federation for all the opportunities that I have been given and I will recover and be back soon. Things happen in life but we will stay positive!!” she concluded.
Tara is a three-time national champion and clinched two silver medals last year at international tournaments in Iceland and Slovenia.
“Whatever happens in this qualification, I will definitely continue skating. I have personal goals that don’t necessarily depend on the Olympics. There’s so much more I want to explore,” she’d told Sportstar earlier this year.
The qualifying event for next year’s Games in Italy is set to begin on September 18 and go on till September 21 at China’s National Indoor Stadium in Beijing. Seventeen quotas are up for grabs: five each in men’s and women’s singles, three in the pairs event, and four in ice dance.
Published on Sep 16, 2025
