KEARNS, Utah (AP) — Two-time Olympic medalist and defending 1,500 world champion Katherine Reutter will have surgery on both hips as soon as possible and miss the rest of the season.
Reutter was the four-time defending U.S. Short Track National Champion but managed only fifth overall Sunday. Hips that are impinged are causing back problems, making it difficult to train and compete.
She said she realized this weekend that she simply had to do something drastic with hopes that she could make a full recovery for next season.
Reutter’s gold in the 1,500 in March made her the first U.S. woman since Bonnie Blair in 1986 to win a world title. She has won six World Cup medals this season so far — three gold, two silver and a bronze — heading into nationals.
