In 2014, Gold became the first American woman to win the NHK Trophy title on the Grand Prix Series circuit and holds the record for the highest short program score ever recorded by an American woman (76.43) which she achieved at the 2016 World Championships in Boston.
Gold is a mental health advocate and was recognized with the 2022 Bell of Hope Award. She was featured in the HBO Sports DocumentaryThe Weight of Gold (2020), and her memoir Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out, released in February 2024, became a The New York Times Bestseller.
Personal life
Grace Elizabeth Gold was born on August 17, 1995, in Newton, Massachusetts.[3] She is the daughter of Denise, an ER nurse, and Carl Gold, an anesthesiologist.[4][5] Her fraternal twin sister, Carly Gold (named after their father), is younger by 40 minutes and also competed in figure skating.[6][7]
Gold has been open about her mental health struggles, including her treatment for anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder.[11][12] She discussed having suicidal thoughts after moving alone to Michigan in 2017 and isolating herself in her apartment.[13] Teammate Ashley Wagner first prompted U.S. Figure Skating officials to seek treatment for Gold in 2016, but Gold did not accept their help until "snapping" in front of judges at the same USFSA event in 2017.[13] Since returning to skating, she has redefined her goals and aimed to find a healthier approach to the sport.[14][15] Upon reflecting on her journey, Gold told reporters in December 2019: "Yes, things could be better, but look how far I've come."[14] Gold was featured in The Weight of Gold (2020), an HBO Sports Documentary which "explor(es) the mental health challenges that Olympic athletes often face."[16][17]
In her memoir, Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out, Gold alleged that she had been raped by a fellow figure skater at an event after-party when she was twenty-one years old. She further stated that she had reported the incident to a U.S. Figure Skating official, who passed this on to the U.S. Center for SafeSport. However, she didn't hear anything from the organization until two years later only to be informed that her case was being looked at by different case manager.[18][19] Eight years after the incident and three months after the release of Gold's memoir, SafeSport released a ruling on Gold's case, permanently banning the skater that had allegedly assaulted her from participating in any future U.S. Figure Skating event. This public ruling revealed that the man Gold alleged to have violated her was Australian figure skater Brendan Kerry.[20]
Gold also came out as bisexual in her memoir, claiming to have dated both men and women. She further stated that during her days of competitive figure skating, her agent told her to hide her sexuality, believing that coming out would be detrimental to her career.[21][22]
Gold started skating at age 8 after attending a friend's birthday party at her local rink in Springfield, Missouri.[24] She subsequently began training with Amy Vorhaben and Max Liu before changing coaches to work with Alexia Griffin. Later she joined Susan Liss and then switched to Toni Hickey in Springfield, Illinois.[4][25] Her next coach was Alex Ouriashev, who worked with her at two rinks in the Chicago area.[5]
Gold was fourth on the novice level at the 2010 U.S. Championships. The next season she competed on the junior level but finished sixth at the Midwestern Sectionals and failed to qualify for the national championships.[27] After the event she began preparing for the following season by working to increase her technical content.[27]
2011–12 season: International debut and World Junior Silver Medalist
Gold made her international debut at the Junior Grand Prix in Tallinn, Estonia, winning gold. She then qualified for the 2012 U.S. Championships on the junior level, where she won both the short and long programs to win the gold medal. Her total of 178.92 points is a record for a junior lady at the U.S. Championships. Gold won gold in all seven of her competitions this season leading into the U.S. Championships. She then competed at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Minsk, Belarus. Gold won the silver medal at the event. She signed with International Management Group.[28]
Gold was named to the U.S. team for the 2012 World Team Trophy.[28] At her senior international debut, she finished fifth overall behind fellow Junior Worlds medalist Adelina Sotnikova. Team USA finished second overall.
Gold finished seventh in her senior Grand Prix debut at the 2012 Skate Canada. She then worked with a sports psychologist on her focus and refined her programs in Canton, Michigan.[29] At her second event, the 2012 Rostelecom Cup, she won the silver medal.[30] At her first senior U.S. Nationals, Gold placed ninth in the short program and first in the free skate, winning the silver medal overall with a score of 186.57 points.[31][32] She was named to compete at the 2013 Four Continents, where she finished sixth. At the 2013 World Championships, she placed ninth in the short program, fifth in the free skate, and sixth overall setting a new personal best total score of 184.25 points. Gold's sixth-place finish along with teammate Ashley Wagner's fifth-place finish secured three spots for the U.S. women at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
At the 2013 World Team Trophy in Tokyo, Gold placed third in the short program and third in the free skate to finish third overall, setting a personal and season best score total of 188.03 points. Team USA won the team gold for the second time since 2009.
After parting ways with coach Alex Ourashiev in late August 2013, Gold trained with Marina Zoueva and Oleg Epstein in Canton, Michigan, while searching for a new permanent coach.[34] She took silver at her first event of the season, the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. After the event she traveled to California for a week-long tryout with Frank Carroll at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo.[34] On September 25, 2013, it was announced that Carroll would be her permanent coach.[35]
During the 2013–14 ISU Grand Prix series, Gold competed at the 2013 Skate Canada, placing first in the short program with a personal best of 69.45 and third in the free skate, winning the bronze medal overall. At the 2013 NHK Trophy she finished fourth. Gold was the third alternate for the Grand Prix Final.
At the 2014 U.S. Championships, Gold placed first in the short program with 72.12 points, the highest-ever ladies' score earned at the U.S. Championships under the ISU Judging System. She went on to win the free skate with another record score of 139.57, thus securing her first senior national title.[citation needed] She was named to the U.S. team for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. She won a bronze medal in the Olympic team event and controversially finished fourth and off the podium in the ladies singles event with a score of 205.53 points.[36] Gold was assigned to the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan, where she placed fifth overall. At the end of the season, she performed with Stars On Ice.[37]
Gracie (right) during Skate America 2014 victory ceremony.
She won bronze at Skate America[38] and gold at NHK Trophy, the latter marking her first win at a Grand Prix event, and the first time an American woman won the event. She qualified for her first Grand Prix Final, but withdrew on December 4, 2014, due to a stress fracture in her left foot.[39]
Gold won a silver medal at the 2015 U.S. Championships with a score of 205.54 after finishing second in both the short program and free skate. At the 2015 Four Continents Championships, Gold placed second in the short program with a score of 62.67 but fifth in the free skate with a score of 113.91, finishing fourth overall with a score of 176.58.
At the 2015 World Championships, Gold placed eighth place in the short program with a score of 60.73, her lowest score of the season. Gold came back in the free skate with a score of 128.23, which was her season's best and second highest free skate score of the ladies event. She finished fourth overall, her highest placement at a World Championship so far.
Gold competed on Team USA at the 2015 World Team Trophy. She placed first in the short program with a score of 71.26, the highest score ever recorded for an American woman in an ISU event. However, she placed fifth in the free skate. Overall Team USA placed first.
Gold's 2015–16 Grand Prix Series assignments were the 2015 Skate America and 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard. Gold won the silver medal at Skate America, behind Russia's Evgenia Medvedeva. She then continued her season placing first in the short program at Trophée Éric Bompard, with a score of 73.32.
Gold performing her free skate at the 2015 GPF.
The event was cancelled on November 14 due to the state of emergency in France following the November 2015 Paris attacks.[40] On November 23, the ISU announced that the short program standings would stand as final placements. This secured Gold a spot in the 2015 Grand Prix Final, where she placed 5th in both the short and free programs, ranking 5th overall.
Gold went on to competing at the 2016 World Championships in Boston where she placed first in the short program with a score of 76.43, the highest short program score ever recorded by an American woman.[42] Placing sixth in the free program, she dropped to fourth place overall. To finish her season, Gold competed at the inaugural 2016 KOSÉ Team Challenge Cup, where she would help Team North America win the gold medal.
2016–17 season: Personal struggles
Gold was assigned to two Grand Prix events, Skate America and Trophée de France. She began her season at the 2016 Japan Open. In the free skate, she earned a score of 108.24, and helped Team North America win the bronze medal. At 2016 Skate America, Gold placed third in the short program with a score of 64.87 behind American Ashley Wagner and Japan's Mai Mihara after a fall on her triple flip. She struggled in the free skate, suffering multiple falls, and dropped to 5th overall with a total score of 184.22. Gold cited "post worlds summer depression" as a reason for not being prepared, commenting that she had only recently "felt like herself again".[citation needed] Her struggles continued at the 2016 Tropheé de France; she scored a combined total of 165.89 for 8th place, the worst Grand Prix finish of her career.
In late December 2016, Gold resumed her collaboration with her former coach, Alex Ouriashev, training with him in Chicago before returning to Los Angeles, where she was coached by Frank Carroll.[43] She finished 6th at the 2017 U.S. Championships, and was left off the Four Continents and World Championship teams for the first time in her senior career; she had previously been on every world championship team starting in 2013. Carroll announced after the event that they would part company.[44] He didn't inform Gold before telling the media, causing major backlash on social media. However, Gold still stated that despite being surprised about Carroll's decision to tell the media before informing her, she maintained the "upmost respect for Frank" and would take the time to make the right decision on coaching arrangements heading into the Olympic season.
On February 8, 2017, Gold announced that Marina Zoueva and Oleg Epstein would be her trainers (Epstein is also a choreographer) at the Arctic Edge ice rink in Canton, Michigan.[45]
According to Lindsay Crouse, a writer with The New York Times, Nike had a pattern of pushing the young women it sponsored to lose excessive amounts of weight.[11] She wrote that pressure from Nike's coaches helped trigger Gold to show disordered eating so profound she considered taking her own life.
2017–18 season
Gold withdrew from the Japan Open, set to be her season open, and also withdrew from the 2017 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy for personal reasons.[46] Gold had been assigned to two Grand Prix events, 2017 Cup of China and 2017 Internationaux de France, both of which she withdrew from in October due to ongoing treatment for anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder.[11][12] Gold later withdrew from U.S. Nationals stating she would not have proper training beforehand.[47] At the end of the season, it was reported Gold was hired as a coach in Arizona.[48]
2018–19 season: Comeback
Gracie Gold at the 2018 Rostelecom Cup.
Following rumors that she would be returning to the sport, it was announced on June 28, 2018 that Gold was assigned to compete at the 2018 Rostelecom Cup.[49] Her coach is Vincent Restencourt based in Pennsylvania.[49] Former figure skater Jeremy Abbott choreographed her short and long programs. It was said that Gold's new short program portrays a more playful and sexy character and her free program portrays her journey from her personal struggles to her comeback.[50] At the 2018 Rostelecom Cup, in the short program, she doubled her triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination, under-rotated and fell on her triple flip, and popped her planned double Axel. She scored 37.51, the lowest short program score she has ever received since the start of her junior career, placing her in 10th and last place.[51] Gracie announced via Twitter her withdrawal from the free skate in order to not damage her mental health and confidence because of her short program.[52] She later stated that she was working towards 2019 US Nationals; however, on January 9, 2019, she announced her withdrawal from Nationals in order to further prepare for the 2019–2020 season.[13] She also stated that she was working towards the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Videos taken by her coach posted on Instagram have shown that she has begun to practice jumps off the harness and is successfully landing them.
2019–2020 season
Being ineligible for a spot at a Grand Prix event, Gold is to compete at domestic regional competitions in an attempt to earn a spot at the 2020 U.S. Championships. Restencourt began posting promising videos of Gold attempting triple Axels and quadruple salchows in harness on his Instagram, as well as every triple jump. At the 2020 U.S. South Atlantic Regional Atlantic Championships, Gold placed third in the short program and fourth in the free program after making significant errors in both programs. However, Gold placed third overall and advanced to the 2020 Eastern Sectional Championships, where she won the bronze medal, thus earning her a qualifying spot for the 2020 U.S. Championships. She placed twelfth at the national championships.[53]
2020–2021 season
Gold was named to U.S. Figure Skating's international selection pool, meaning she is eligible to compete at international events in the 2020–2021 figure skating season and will be considered for assignment to such events.[54] She was assigned to compete at the 2020 Skate America, the ISU having decided to run the Grand Prix based mainly on skaters' training locations to limit international travel during the coronavirus pandemic.[55] She finished twelfth.[56]
Gold was sixth in the short program at the 2022 U.S. Championships, but dropped to tenth place overall after the free skate.[58]
2022–2023 season
Approaching the new season, Gold said that "I really want to transition from the 'good for her for being out there' mentality...to, 'Oh, she's really, really good. And she's really competitive.'" She won the bronze medal at the Philadelphia Summer International, in the process becoming the oldest female skater to land a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination in international competition, at age 27.[59] Gold was twelfth at the 2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, and placed sixth at the 2022 Skate America.[60] At the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Gold once again landed a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination in her short program to place 5th.[61] She placed 11th in the free skate to place 8th overall, her best result since 2017.[62]
Endorsements
In October 2013, Gold was named as a face of CoverGirl. She appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated's February 2014 issue, GQ Japan, and Teen Vogue. Later, she was named the 2014 Sportswoman of the Year by the Los Angeles Council, and received an award that March during the L.A. Sports ceremony. She is an ambassador for the KOSÉ Infinity beauty product.
Note: The 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard was cancelled after the November 2015 Paris attacks. The short programs had been completed on November 13, but the free skating was to be held the next day.[81] On November 23, the International Skating Union announced that the short program results would be considered as the final results for the competition.[82]
Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out (2024)
Related Research Articles
Ashley Elisabeth Wagner is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2016 World silver medalist, a 2014 Olympic bronze medalist in the team event, the 2012 Four Continents champion, a three-time Grand Prix Final medalist, a thirteen-time Grand Prix medalist, and a three-time U.S. national champion. Wagner competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and placed 7th. At the junior level, Wagner is a two-time World Junior bronze medalist, the 2006-07 Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalist, a two-time Junior Grand Prix medalist, and the 2007 U.S. junior bronze medalist.
Madison Hubbell is an American former ice dancer. She competed with Zachary Donohue from 2011 to 2022. With him, she is a two-time 2022 Winter Olympics medalist, a four-time World medalist, the 2018 Grand Prix Final champion, the 2014 Four Continents champion, and a three-time U.S. national champion.
Mirai Aileen Nagasu is an American figure skater. She is a 2018 Olympic Games team event bronze medalist, three-time Four Continents medalist, the 2007 JGP Final champion, a two-time World Junior medalist, and a seven-time U.S. national medalist.
Madison La'akea Te-Lan Hall Chock is an American ice dancer. With her husband and skating partner, Evan Bates, she is a 2022 Olympic gold medalist in the team event, the 2023 and 2024 World champion, the 2023–24 Grand Prix Final champion, a three-time Four Continents champion, a twenty-time ISU Grand Prix medalist, ten-time ISU Challenger Series medalist, and a five-time U.S. national champion. She is a three-time Olympian, having represented the United States at the 2014, 2018, and 2022 Winter Olympics.
Maia Harumi Shibutani is a retired American ice dancer. Partnered with her brother Alex Shibutani, she is a two time 2018 Olympic bronze medalist, a three-time World medalist, the 2016 Four Continents champion, and a two-time U.S. national champion. The siblings have won six titles on the Grand Prix series and stood on the podium at 14 consecutive U.S. Championships, at five levels including eight as seniors. They are two-time members of the US Olympic team, competing at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. In 2018, the siblings became the first ice dancers who are both of Asian descent to medal at the Olympics. They are the second sibling duo to ever share an ice dancing Olympic medal, and the first from the United States. The Shibutani siblings are often referred to by their nickname the Shib Sibs.
Zachary Tyler "Zach" Donohue is an American former ice dancer. With Madison Hubbell, he is a two-time 2022 Winter Olympics medalist, a four-time World medalist, the 2018 Grand Prix Final champion, the 2014 Four Continents champion, and a three-time U.S. national champion.
Kanako Murakami is a Japanese retired figure skater. She is the 2010–11 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, 2014 Four Continents champion, 2010 World Junior champion, 2009–10 JGP Final champion, and a four-time Japanese national medalist.
Adelina Dmitriyevna Sotnikova is a retired Russian figure skater. She is the 2014 Olympic gold medalist in ladies' singles, a two-time European silver medalist, a two-time Rostelecom Cup bronze medalist, and a four-time Russian national champion.
Christina Gao is an American former figure skater. She is the 2012 Skate America silver medalist, the 2009 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, and the 2009 U.S. Junior bronze medalist.
Elizaveta Sergeyevna Tuktamysheva is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2015 World champion, the 2021 World silver medalist, the 2015 European champion and the 2013 European bronze medalist. She is a 16-time medalist on the Grand Prix series, including gold at the 2014–15 Grand Prix Final and bronze at the 2018–19 Grand Prix Final. On national level she is a 8-time medalist in the Russian Championships and the 2013 Russian national champion, as well as 4-time medalist in the Russian Cup Finals. On the junior level, she is the 2012 Youth Olympic champion, 2011 World Junior silver medalist, and 2010–11 JGP Final silver medalist.
Yulia Vyacheslavovna Lipnitskaya is a Russian retired competitive figure skater. She was part of the Russian team that won the 2014 Winter Olympics team trophy. Individually, Lipnitskaya is the 2014 World silver medalist, the 2014 European champion, the 2013–14 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, and a two-time Russian national silver medalist. As a junior, Lipnitskaya won the 2012 World Junior Championships, 2011–12 Junior Grand Prix Final, and 2012 Russian Junior Championships. She retired from the sport in 2017 due to injuries and anorexia nervosa.
Satoko Miyahara is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the 2015 World silver medalist, the 2018 World bronze medalist, the 2016 Four Continents champion, a two-time Four Continents silver medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Final silver medalist, a two-time Skate America champion, the 2015 NHK Trophy champion, a four-time CS U.S. Classic champion, the 2014 CS Lombardia Trophy champion, and a four-time Japanese national champion (2014–17).
Brandon Michael Frazier is an American pair skater. With his skating partner, Alexa Knierim, he is the 2022 World champion, the 2023 World silver medalist, a 2022 Olympic gold medalist in the figure skating team event, the 2022 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, a two-time U.S. National champion, and a three-time Grand Prix gold medalist.
Alexa Paige Knierim is an American pair skater. With her skating partner, Brandon Frazier, she is the 2022 World champion, the 2023 World silver medalist, a 2022 Olympic gold medalist in the figure skating team event, the 2022 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, a two-time U.S. National champion, and a three-time Grand Prix gold medalist.
Polina Edmunds Bast is a retired American figure skater. She is the 2015 Four Continents champion, the 2014 CS U.S. Classic champion, and a two-time U.S. national silver medalist. She represented the United States at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, finishing 9th.
Karen Chen is an American figure skater. She is a 2022 Olympic Games team event gold medalist, two-time CS U.S. Classic bronze medalist, the 2015 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist, the 2017 U.S. national champion, 2022 U.S. national silver medalist, and a three-time U.S. national bronze medalist. She is currently a student at Cornell University.
Amber Elaine Glenn is an American figure skater. She is the 2024 U.S. national champion, the 2024 Grand Prix de France and 2024 Cup of China champion, a two-time ISU Grand Prix bronze medalist, and a three-time ISU Challenger Series medalist. She has finished within the top ten at three ISU Championships.
Wakaba Higuchi is a Japanese figure skater. She is a 2022 Olympic team event silver medalist, the 2018 World silver medalist, the 2024 Skate America champion, a three-time Grand Prix silver medalist, a three-time Grand Prix bronze medalist, a three-time Challenger Series medalist, and a five-time Japanese national medalist. On the junior level, she is a two-time World Junior bronze medalist, the 2014–15 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, and a two-time Japan Junior national champion.
Mariah Cheyenne Bell is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2022 U.S. national champion, 2020 U.S. national silver medalist, and two-time U.S. national bronze medalist. She is also the 2020 Skate America gold medalist, 2016 Skate America silver medalist, the 2019 Internationaux de France bronze medalist, the 2019 Rostelecom Cup bronze medalist, the 2019 CS Nebelhorn Trophy champion, and the 2016 CS U.S. International Classic silver medalist.
Starr Andrews is an American figure skater. She is the 2022 Skate Canada International silver medalist, 2019 International Challenge Cup silver medalist, 2019 Egna Trophy silver medalist, and finished fourth at the 2023 U.S. Nationals. She has finished in the top ten at three ISU Championships and is the first African American woman to win a Grand Prix medal in the singles discipline.
↑ Gold, Gracie (February 6, 2024). Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out. New York City, U.S.: Crown. p.352. ISBN978-0593444047.
↑ Gold, Gracie (February 6, 2024). Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out. New York City, U.S.: Crown. p.352. ISBN978-0593444047.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
United States 
