Canadian ice dancing champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are hanging up the skates. The pair announced their retirement in a video shared on both of their Twitter accounts as they skated around the rink they call home, smiling and holding each other close.“We’ve spent 22 years coasting around the outside of the rink, hanging out together, making programs, trying to soak up our sporting experience,” Moir said. “After 22 years, it feels like the right time to step away from the sport,” Virtue continued. “This is so personal and emotional for both of us. We’re just so grateful. How lucky are we really that we got to share all of this together and with all of you?”The duo was expected to retire following a gold-medal performance at the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018, but had not made an official announcement until Tuesday. Their remarkable careers include five Olympic medals, four first-place finishes at Worlds, and many more international accolades.Both Moir and Virtue, whose have been ice dancing partners for 22 years, are grateful for the support they’ve been shown over more than two decades.“We still feel like the most fortunate kids in Canada,” Moir said. “But it just feels like the right time to say goodbye.” Virtue and Moir became household names after capturing Olympic gold on home ice in 2010 and have been melting hearts ever since. They garnered even more attentions during their final Olympic appearance in 2018, with fans swooning over their on-ice chemistry.They performed alongside other Canadian skaters on a Stars on Ice Tour exhibition tour last spring, but haven’t competed since Pyeongchang. But while their competitive ice dancing careers have come to an end, Moir and Virtue aren’t done skating together just yet. The pair’s two-month-long ‘Rock the Rink’ tour — starting on Oct. 5 in Abbotsford, B.C. and ending on Nov. 23 in St. John’s ...
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