Just under 48 hours before Colorado native Danny O'Shea was scheduled to join his skating partner Ellie Kam at the World Figure Skating Championships, he found himself unable to take to the ice. Coach Drew Meekins reported that on March 22, O'Shea hurt his foot during an off-ice workout session, making him experience excruciating discomfort.
The injury occurred when Kam and O'Shea were expected to assist the U.S. in securing additional Olympic berths for the USA at the forthcoming 2026 Olympic Games. The duo had previously teamed up before. interviewed with CBS Colorado As they got ready in Colorado Springs for the world competition in March.
As per the rules of the competition, the team states they informed U.S. Figure Skating about O'Shea’s injury. They mention having contingency plans ready should an alternate be needed, and O'Shea received extensive medical attention over 24 hours. This included “an epidural shot,” a treatment also employed in other high-level sports such as American football for players suffering from comparable injuries, according to Meekins.
Two days after the injury, O'Shea skated a full final training program and was cleared by USFS to skate. O'Shea says the team did not yet know the extent of his injuries.
The intensive ice and compression routine alongside numbing injections continued throughout Oshea's time at the competition in Boston to manage swelling and pain.
"His biggest motivation was to help Team USA secure three spots at next year's world championship, and give the team the chance to earn a third spot for the Olympic Games. And despite the immense amount of pain he was in, and the emotional and psychological trauma this situation caused to both him and Ellie, somehow they were able to perform to a seventh best place in the world," Meekins said.
The pair team's 7th place finish, alongside other strong performing U.S. athletes, earned Team USA a third Olympic spot for the upcoming games. Experts in the field say it's an opportunity Team USA has not in decades.
After the competition concluded, O’Shea headed to a medical facility in Boston for an assessment. According to Meeks, official scans revealed that Danny’s foot had suffered a severe fracture of his fifth metatarsal.
On Wednesday, O'Shea had an operation at the Colorado Center of Orthopedic Excellence. Once he recuperates and remains interested, his partner intends for them to get back into skating with their sights set on securing one of the current three available spots for the 2026 Olympics.