With Sasha Cohen's prospects for making it to the Vancouver Games diminished by injury, Belbin and Agosto are the top Americans most likely to return to the Olympics.
/ AP photo
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, the reigning Olympic and world silver medalists in ice dance, have withdrawn from next week's Grand Prix final.
Belbin had surgery Tuesday to treat an infected wisdom tooth and has been advised to avoid strenuous activity for a week. Agosto says the pair is confident it will be ready for the U.S. championships in January.
This is the second straight year Belbin and Agosto have withdrawn from the Grand Prix final. They were forced out last year by Agosto's back injury, which also kept them out of nationals.
Belbin and Agosto qualified for the Grand Prix final with wins at Skate America and Cup of China.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
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