For the world, the most difficult part for a figure skater is to execute the triple flips and double axles. However, for a figure skater, the most difficult part is completely different. What they hate the most is sitting still! And that is exactly what happened with a US figure skater recently. Coming down with an unfortunate foot injury, the minutes felt like years for the athlete. While she is finally back now, her narration of her time sitting back at home clearly states how much she loved getting back on the ice again.
So who is the restless figure skater we are talking about? Well, it is none other than Isabeau Levito. Coming into the 2024-25 season, Levito had hopes of taking her career to a new level. After all, her silver medal at the 2024 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, Canada, made her the best US figure skater since 2016. Unfortunately, things didn’t go well and Levito suffered a stress-induced foot injury. Keeping her out of the action for a significantly long period, but having endured the pain of sitting out Levito is more than happy to finally make a comeback.
Speaking with the Olympics.com, Levito said, “It feels so great, mentally, to be here again.” Levito further added that the three months she had to sit back, it seemed like she missed out on a lot of action. “I felt like I missed out on so much. And I just feel like myself when I’m jumping and when I’m here. I feel like me again,” Levito further mentioned. She also went on to explain how her injury did not result due to breaking or tearing of any bones. Yet, she termed it as the worst injury that she had ever experienced.
“Nothing was fully broken from what I understand, but it was so hard to manage because all the jumps happen landing on the right foot,” she said. Levito further added, “Most of my jumps that I was working on were flips, loops and Lutzes, and take off with the right foot. It was the worst injury I’ve gotten, in my opinion. It’s the longest recovery.” Thankfully, the dreaded three months passed by. And she could get back to what made her the happiest. Surely, her comeback to the ice has been quite a successful affair.
Making her return at the fag end of February, the 18-year-old took part in the Road To 26 Trophy in Assago, Italy. All her piled-up energy came up at once as Levito finished second at the practice event for the big event coming up at Milan Cortina 2026. Levito’s next stop will be the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Boston. Meanwhile, during her recovery period, Isabeau Levito had some serious trouble in trying to curb her restlessness.
Isabeau Levito’s battle with restlessness during injury recovery
The 18-year-old skater didn’t take well to sitting still. Just two days into her recovery from a foot injury, the 2023 U.S. champion was already itching to move. “Like two days,” Levito said with a laugh about how quickly she grew restless. But finding ways to stay active without jeopardizing her foot recovery proved to be an indeed tricky balance. And almost led to another setback.
Isabeau recalled, “During those three months, at some point I was like, ‘OK, well, I can’t skate, so I’m going to be super flexible”. She further added, “And I was like, ‘My bend is going to look so beautiful when I come back!’ So, I started stretching my back like crazy and then I did something to my back.” The injury didn’t keep her off the ice any longer than her foot already had, but it highlighted the frustration of being sidelined and her intense desire to stay sharp.
Despite several attempts to return to training, the pain lingered. Levito said, “Every three weeks or so we kept trying to come back to the ice.” She continued, “It was three times at least, and I think it was the second time I tried to come back, when it was four weeks before nationals, and I was so heartbroken when I started doing doubles and it was painful again.”
Levito’s struggle to balance recovery and activity ultimately paid off. After meeting the Return to Play Protocol at the Road to 26 Trophy, she’s now set to make her third appearance at the senior world championships. And it’s for time to tell how she is bouncing back to the competitive sphere after her recovery.
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