The Canadian former competitive figure skater Jessica Dube was struck in the face by her partner’s blade during the Four Continents Championship free skate segment on February 8, 2007.
Moreover, the pair were on their third rotation of a side-by-side camel spin when they began to drift towards one another, causing her face and Davidson’s blade to make contact.
Dube immediately fell to the ice as blood covered her face, and the team rushed her to the Memorial Hospital for treatment.
@artofkickz I looked up Jessica Dube (The Figure Skater that was slashed across the face) she HAD a scar (Attached pic) but it appears to have healed fully or she had surgery to fix it. pic.twitter.com/PcrC455VD8
— Matt 'Boonski' Taylor (@Boonski705) February 6, 2021
The athlete underwent speedy surgery, receiving 83 stitches to repair a crack on her left cheek and nose, which left behind a scar for more than 10 years.
Fortunately, the skate blade didn’t contact Dube’s eye, which could have resulted in a different, more harrowing turn of events.
Soon after the medical assistance, both the skaters received post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment and took a break from the sport for a year.
Dube has embraced her face injury as a reminder of her strength!
Dube faced more obstacles than just the brutal accident throughout her career; in April 2009, she accidentally struck her partner on the head.
Further, they were moving for a triple twist, but he was unable to catch her, and Dube crashed into the ice, hitting her head. Luckily, both skaters avoided injuries despite spending time at the hospital as a precautionary measure.
As the years passed by, Dube achieved new heights in the skating world with her silver win at the 2012 Canadian Championships.
However, her health persistently pushed her back as Dube had to withdraw from Skate America due to an injury on her right foot, ultimately leading to her retirement in 2013.
Since then, Dube completed her National Coaching Program and begun coaching alongside Yuvan Desjardins.
Later in 2020, the skater shared an Instagram post marking the 13 years of the unfortunate accident on the rink.
Additionally, Dube captioned the post, “Crazy how fast time flies. Seems like yesterday that I got lucky in my bad luck, that everything could have gone differently, I wouldn’t change this scar for the world.“
Dube undoubtedly looks different than before, but the scar isn’t completely visible now due to natural aging.
Additional Information
- Jessica Dube, born October 29, 1987, is known for her pair career with Bryce Davidson and has three Canadian free skating titles.
- As a child, Dube competed for a few seasons with Samuel Terault and won a silver medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final in 2002.
- The skater married Dominique Blanchette after retirement and is the mother of one-year-old Elise.
