Anchorage figure skater Keegan Messing will skate one more time in the Beijing Olympics — this time, in the figure skating gala that traditionally marks the end of the Winter Games: via sportsadn
In an interview with the CBC, Messing explained his exuberance. “It’s Canada — you gotta support our guys.”“I’m trying to convince my strength trainer it’s my workout for the day but she’s not buying it, sadly,” Messing said.
The invitation to skate at the Saturday gala extended Messing’s time in Beijing, where the men’s singles competition happened nearly two weeks ago. It means Messing will get to go to the closing ceremony — something he said he’s looking forward to after missing the opening ceremony. Messing’s arrival in China was delayed by several days after he tested positive for COVID-19, and for a while it was anyone’s guess if he’d make it to Beijing in time to compete.
“And then at the end of it, you can have everyone swap gear and then see how the other athletes deal with the different gear,” he said. “I think it would be a lot of fun to have, like, an open house here at the Olympics and have other athletes try other sports just to show how difficult some of this stuff is.”