Milano Cortina Day 11: Kristen Spours’ 2025/26 season: the comeback that took her to Olympic ice

Kristen Spours’ first Olympic season has been defined by resilience, perspective and a return to the joy of competing - a journey that culminated on the sport’s biggest stage at Milano Cortina 2026.

In the Women’s Short Program at the Olympic Winter Games, Spours finished 29th with 45.54, bringing her singles campaign to a close after a year that asked as much of her away from the rink as it did on it.

The foundation: Kristen Spours earning Team GB’s Olympic place

The story of this season begins long before the Opening Ceremony.

At the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Boston, Spours delivered two determined skates to finish 22nd overall with 153.75 points - a performance that not only marked a major milestone, but also secured Great Britain’s Olympic quota spot in women’s singles for Milano Cortina 2026.

That achievement placed Spours at the heart of a historic Worlds for Team GBR - and set the platform for what would become an unforgettable Olympic year.

Surgery, a pause, and putting health first

With the quota spot secured, Spours faced a different kind of challenge. Team GB have spoken openly about the hurdles she has navigated, including surgery for a disc herniation and the mental and physical strain that followed.

In September, she took time away from the ice, stepping back to prioritise her overall wellbeing.

Later reflecting on that period, Spours described how difficult Olympic qualifying had been, and how the combination of pressure and injury led her to reassess what she needed in order to continue - ultimately returning because she felt ready to approach skating with “love” again.

The comeback moment: British champion again

After surgery and the long, careful process of getting her body back to a place where she could train again, Kristen returned to the rink in early November - not “back to normal”, but back with purpose. The biggest challenge was the impact the injury had on her calf: with the nerve disruption affecting power and control through the lower leg, it wasn’t simply a case of getting fit again - it meant having to adapt what she could realistically train and perform, including no longer being able to do certain elements (i.e. axels, toe loops, etc) as part of her content.

Rather than forcing things before they were ready, Kristen rebuilt step by step - reshaping elements, reworking layouts, and finding a way to compete within what her body would allow.

And then she delivered a real statement moment at the 2025 British Figure Skating Championships, reclaiming the national title with 163.59.

More than the score, it was a reminder of Kristen’s trademark resilience - that even with obstacles still in the background, she can reset, refocus, and rise to the occasion when it matters most.

Olympic debut: Team Event first, then the Women’s Short Program

Spours’ Olympic journey began in the Figure Skating Team Event, where she skated the Women’s Short Program on the opening day for Team GB, placing 10th with 48.28 and earning a team point.

After that skate, she summed up the significance of the moment simply - saying she could finally call herself an Olympian.

Days later, she returned for the individual event, competing in the Women’s Short Program to begin her singles campaign. She finished 29th with a score of 45.54, closing out an Olympic season that will be remembered for far more than one segment score.

A season measured in more than scores

This year, Spours has shown what elite sport looks like in real life: ambition and vulnerability, momentum and setbacks, pressure and perspective — and the courage to step away when needed, then fight her way back to the start line.

From securing Great Britain’s Olympic place in Boston, to reclaiming the national title, to competing at Europeans on home ice and skating at her first Olympic Games, Kristen’s 2025/26 season stands as a powerful example to every skater watching: progress is rarely linear, but it is always possible.

And as British Ice Skating continues to inspire the next generation through Inspire To Skate, stories like Kristen’s show exactly why representation, resilience and role models matter - on the ice, and beyond it.