Olympics: Overcoming a shattered knee, figure skater Coomes heading to Pyeongchang

Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland of Britain perform during the ice dance short dance program at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Nagano, Japan, November 28, 2015. REUTERS/Yuya Shino/Files

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain chose ice dancer Penny Coomes for the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics on Wednesday, 15 months after she shattered her kneecap and was told her skating career was over.

The 28-year-old and partner Nick Buckland will be competing at their third Games. They secured their place after winning the Nebelhorn Trophy Olympic qualifying competition in Oberstdorf, Germany, last month.

Coomes broke her knee in eight places in July last year when she fell during a routine lift. The pair had finished seventh at the world figure skating championships three months earlier.

"A lot of people had written me off, and I wasn't having any of that," the 2014 European bronze medallist told the BBC in March. "I've worked so hard to achieve my dream and I feel I can do anything in life now."

Britain's figure skating team leader is 1980 Olympic champion Robin Cousins.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Larry King)