Dundee skater Natasha McKay will not compete at World Championships

Dundee skater and six times British champion Natasha McKay has said she will not be competing in the World Figure Skating Championships in Japan later this year.
Natasha McKay performs during the Women's Free Skating event of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Espoo, Finland last month.Natasha McKay performs during the Women's Free Skating event of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Espoo, Finland last month.
Natasha McKay performs during the Women's Free Skating event of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Espoo, Finland last month.

Ms McKay, who has competed in five previous World Championships, said she had withdrawn her name from consideration for the British team’s entry into the competition.

Ms McKay has not yet achieved the minimum Technical Element Scores (TES) scores to be allowed to compete this season at Worlds, regarded as the biggest fixture on the figure skating competitive calendar. Her coaching team said she is to compete again before the championships, which could allow her to achieve the scores, but has told sporting body British Ice Skating that she does not want to be considered.

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After placing 11th at the John Wilson Trophy Grand Prix in Sheffield in November, Ms McKay had hinted this year was likely to be her last competitive season, telling The Scotsman she had previously planned to retire following the last Winter Olympics, but that she had extended her career due to the Covid pandemic.

However, a statement from Ice Dundee, where Ms McKay is coached by Simon Briggs, said that her team had decided that Ms McKay had chosen to spend her time at home, “training and preparing for next season”.

The statement said: “Natasha certainly had another amazing European Championships where her passion, commitment, loyalty, dedication, and talent were a few of the attributes that clearly stood out. She has now competed at six European championships, five World championships, qualified for the final round in five of those European Championships and also the last three World Championships, along with the ultimate achievement of becoming an Olympian.

"We as a team had discussions before this year’s European Championships and made a decision that she did not wish to be considered for the upcoming World Championships in Japan. Although Natasha will be competing again before the minimum TES deadline, we all feel her time this year will be better spent at home training and preparing for next season which will be upon us before we know it.”

The women’s spot for the World Figure Skating Championships is likely to be given to Kristen Spours from Swindon, who achieved her minimum TES at a competition in Romania last month.

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