COC Congratulates World Figure Skating Champion Jeffrey Buttle on Outstanding Career
Jeffrey Buttle, one of best figure skaters in Canadian history, today announced his retirement from competitive figure skating. The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) congratulates Buttle, 26, on a successful and inspirational career that winds down on a high note: gold at the 2008 World Championships.
Just six months ago in Sweden, Buttle out-skated the world’s best to decisively win the World Championships. In doing so, he became the first Canadian to win the men’s figure skating title since Elvis Stojko in 1997. Buttle will thus retire as reigning world champion, having said he is content with his career accomplishments. He said it was a difficult decision, with the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, but upon reflection he explained that winning an Olympic gold just wasn’t “in his heart.“
Buttle has already won an Olympic medal, a bronze in 2006 in Turin, Italy – just the sixth Canadian to reach the Olympic podium in men’s singles figure skating. The three-time Canadian national champion has captured three gold medals on the Grand Prix circuit in 2003, 2004 and 2005. He also won a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships.
The native of Smooth Rock Falls, Ont. said he plans to continue studying chemical engineering at the University of Toronto and take back to the ice in professional figure skating shows.
