U.S. champion Jason Brown is no longer listed in the field for next weekend’s NHK Trophy in Japan, withdrawing due to a back strain, according to U.S. Figure Skating.
“I know how important it is for me to get healthy for the rest of the season, and this will give me time to rest and recover,” Brown said in a press release.
Brown will not be able to qualify for December’s Grand Prix Final, the most prestigious annual competition outside of the World Championships.
He is expected to compete in the U.S. Championships in January.
Brown finished third in his other Grand Prix event this season, Skate America in October. Another podium finish at NHK would have put him in strong position to make the six-skater Grand Prix Final.
The U.S. hasn’t qualified a men’s singles skater for the Grand Prix Final since Jeremy Abbott in 2011. Brown barely missed last year’s Grand Prix Final and was the first alternate.
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