Fedor Andreev was targeted for success since he emerged on the Canadian scene in 1999 but a back injury forced him to leave the sport. (Kevin Kreck/Associated Press)

A potential career-ending injury would normally devastate any athlete competing at a high level, especially when it happens at a young age, but for Canadian figure skater Fedor Andreev that simply wasn't the case.

He had something to turn to – auto racing.

"I would say [quitting] wasn't devastating at all," Andreev told CBCsports.ca. "I was racing all summer and I was happy. I mean, I was disappointed that I had so many years invested of my time and I did enjoy the sport, but not enough at that point in my life to put racing on the backburner."

Andreev, 25, was targeted for success since he emerged on the Canadian scene in 1999.

Born in Moscow before his family settled in Ottawa when he was seven, Andreev won the men's national junior title that year and gradually moved up the ranks – highlighted by a bronze medal at the Canadian figure skating championships in 2003.

The setback occurred the following year as Andreev injured his back, a problem that worsened and forced him to leave skating altogether in the early part of 2005 at the tender age 23.

Usually retirement means months, and sometimes years of career searching. For Andreev, this scenario didn't materialize because while skating was his profession, auto racing is the real passion.

Andreev initially injured his back practising the difficult quad jump in training. At first, he thought the problem was some simple inflammation, but the pain persisted and doctors finally advised him to stop.

Although the decision to leave skating wasn't easy, Andreev had options and quickly took advantage of them. With nothing standing in his way, the attention shifted to the sport of drift racing, a competition involving light-weighted cars with their backends fishtailing from side-to-side.

"I competed in drifting for a number of years and I did road racing so that was the biggest thing," he said. "All my life I've been absolutely obsessed with the cars. It just happened to be that one of my friends was into auto crossing, which is the most basic form of motor sports. The first time I just absolutely loved it and I got hooked and it progressed from there."

Also hit the runway

During his skating hiatus, Andreev also tried his hand in modelling after an agent contacted Skate Canada at the time he competed as a junior. The Russian native then travelled to New York, Thailand and Hong Kong for nearly a year to work with clothing giant Abercrombie & Fitch and teen fashion magazine US Vogue.

"Hey, it's easy money," Andreev joked.

Eventually, the skating bug lured Andreev to a possible return to competition. This past summer, Andreev continued his training in Canton, Mich., at the Artic Edge Arena – a breeding ground for some of the top skaters in the world.

Andreev credits the immensely talented Canadian ice dancing team of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir for his comeback. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

He credits the people from Velocity Sports Performance who helped significantly improve his back by focusing on specific areas like balance and core strengthening.

Watching his friends compete at the training centre was incentive enough, but what really nudged Andreev back was the motivation he received from observing the immensely talented Canadian ice dancing team of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir workout daily.

"The atmosphere at our rink is just phenomenal. One of my biggest inspirations [for the return] would have to be Scott and Tessa because of just the passion in their staking and the love for the sport just oozes from the both of them," admitted Andreev, who also had some of his past long programs choreographed by Virtue and still picks her brain when he gets the chance.

"They were one of the biggest conspirators, I guess, for me to start skating."

Andreev is coached by renowned American instructor Richard Callahan although he gets some guidance from his mother Marina Zoueva, another highly respected coach.

Started on winning note

Realizing his endurance was better than even he imagined, Andreev's goal this season was to qualify for the Canadian championships with the men's short program beginning Thursday in Vancouver (Country Canada, 4 p.m., ET).

In order to make it, Andreev had to compete at two qualifying events – the BMO Eastern Ontario Sectional championship in November and then the BMO Skate Canada Senior Challenge the ensuing month.

He passed both tests with flying colours, winning the competitions with relative ease, including a convincing effort over talented Canadian team member Christopher Mabee at the Challenge.

Andreev used his trademark athleticism and jumping prowess to topple his competitors, yet the results shocked some skating experts unaware the forgotten Canadian was contemplating a comeback.

"Nobody was surprised at the possibility of him doing it, giving the fact that he's always been a really strong, quality skater," said CBC Country Canada's figure skating expert Pj Kwong.

"But it's just the fact that he was not even in the mix because he was away for a while. So there wasn't even the idea that he was coming back. I don't think that anybody saw him in the summer so this was definitely out of nowhere."

Predictably, the self-professed racing fanatic wasn't surprised by his performances that allowed him to reach the national event. He also isn't fazed by the prospect of facing three-time Canadian champion and 2006 Olympic bronze medallist Jeffrey Buttle, and teenage sensation Patrick Chan.

"I have a very different attitude going into this right now," said Andreev. "I have absolutely no pressure on me and I have absolutely nothing to lose. Either way it's a win-win situation for me. If I do happen to do well that would be amazing, if not, I'm going to feel I achieved whatever I could."

Andreev's carefree approach shouldn't be perceived as lazy or nonchalant. He has every intention of earning a spot on the men's squad next year and also craves an opportunity to compete on the international stage.

"If I feel as strongly about skating as I do now, then I absolutely want to make the Canadian team," he said. "I feel like my body is going to hold up. I'm trying to take good care of myself and if I can travel with my friends all across the world, I'd have to be pretty dumb not to want to do that."

Just don't tell Andreev he has to win in order to be happy.