Japanese figure skating star Daisuke Takahashi was officially announced on Tuesday to skip the world championships at home this month due to a knee injury.
The Vancouver Olympic bronze medallist and 2010 world champion, 27, finished sixth in the Sochi Games men's singles, which has been won by his fellow Japanese Yuzuru Hanyu, just 19 years old.
Takahashi was diagnosed with chronic joint inflammation in his right knee after returning from Sochi and will need to rest the joint for five to six weeks, the Japan Skating Federation said.
Takahiko Kozuka will take the place of Takahashi at the event scheduled for March 26-30 at Saitama, competing alongside Tatsuki Machida, who finished fifth in Sochi.
Three-time men's world champion Patrick Chan of Canada, Olympic ice dance champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States, and their Canadian rivals Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir will also be absent from the worlds, after South Korea's Kim Yuna retired right after the Games.
