Figure Skating Injury Report: Plazas and Fernandez Eye Post-Olympic Momentum as Beccari and Guarise Rebuild

The post-Olympic figure skating landscape is often defined as much by who survives as by who wins. As the 2026-2027 ISU Grand Prix season approaches, the pairs discipline is witnessing the return of several top-tier teams who spent the past two years battling severe, career-threatening injuries.

Among the most closely watched comebacks are those of American duo Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez, and Italy's 2024 European Champions Lucrezia Beccari and Matteo Guarise. Both teams were forced to sit out the entirety of the 2024-2025 season, watching their competitors surge ahead while they navigated grueling surgical recoveries and the psychological toll of being sidelined.[1]

For Plazas and Fernandez, the 2024 U.S. bronze medalists, the halt came just as they were making history. After becoming the first U.S. pairs team in which both partners are of Latin descent to compete at the World Championships, Fernandez could no longer ignore a nagging pain in his knee.[3]

Medical evaluations revealed that the tendon in Fernandez's knee had separated from the bone, a severe overuse injury that required immediate surgical intervention. In October 2024, he traveled to The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado, for an operation that would keep him off the ice for over six months.

The separation forced the team into a difficult holding pattern. While Fernandez rehabilitated in Colorado Springs alongside other Olympic and Paralympic athletes, Plazas remained at their training base in Canton, Michigan.

Training pairs elements without a partner is virtually impossible, so Plazas spent the six-and-a-half months focusing intensely on her individual jumps and edge work. However, the isolation took a heavy mental toll, particularly during the national championship season when her peers were actively competing.

To combat the depression and anxiety of the hiatus, Plazas worked closely with a sports psychologist. This mental conditioning proved just as vital as physical therapy, ensuring she remained competitively sharp and emotionally prepared for the eventual reunion.

That reunion finally occurred in May 2025. According to their coaching team, the time apart had allowed both skaters to heal individually, making their partnership stronger upon their return. After their very first throw jump back together, Plazas reportedly told Fernandez that being back in his arms felt like coming home.

Their cautious optimism translated into tangible results during the 2025-2026 season. The duo captured a silver medal at the Golden Spin of Zagreb and secured strong fourth-place finishes at the Kinoshita Group Cup and Tayside Trophy, proving their technical elements had not degraded during the layoff.[3]

Across the Atlantic, the Italian team of Beccari and Guarise faced their own grueling battle. After capturing the European pairs title in January 2024, Beccari suffered a series of foot injuries that completely derailed their momentum.[1]

Foot injuries are notoriously difficult to manage in pairs skating, as the female partner must absorb immense impact forces when landing throw jumps and twist lifts. Beccari's initial injury occurred shortly after the European Championships, and a secondary injury upon her attempted return forced the team to scrap their 2024-2025 campaign entirely.[1]

The prolonged absence meant the Italians had to watch from the sidelines as Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin claimed the 2025 European title in Tallinn, Estonia. For Guarise, a veteran of the sport, the uncertainty surrounding Beccari's recovery timeline tested their resolve to push toward a home Olympics in Milano Cortina.[2]

Beccari and Guarise finally made their competitive return in the fall of 2025, easing back into the circuit with seventh-place finishes at the Nebelhorn Trophy and Trialeti Trophy. Rather than rushing to reinstate their most difficult elements, the team focused on clean execution and pain-free repetitions.

These synchronized comebacks highlight a broader cultural shift within elite figure skating. In previous eras, athletes were often pressured to skate through severe pain, risking permanent damage. Today, federations and coaching teams are increasingly prioritizing long-term surgical repair and psychological support, recognizing that a fully healed athlete has a longer, more successful shelf life.

As the 2026-2027 Grand Prix assignments are finalized, the presence of Plazas/Fernandez and Beccari/Guarise injects vital depth into the pairs field. Their successful navigation of the operating room and the rehabilitation clinic serves as a powerful reminder that in figure skating, resilience off the ice is just as critical as perfection on it.[3]