COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Olympic bronze medalist Tim Goebel withdrew from the Grand Prix Final on Tuesday because of ongoing problems with his skates.

Goebel, the 2001 U.S. champion and current world silver medalist, had to skip Skate America in October because his skates were causing pain, limiting his practices and hurting his performance. He competed in the Cup of China and NHK Trophy, but the problems haven't gone away.

"I do not feel that I can go to the Grand Prix Final and perform up to my capabilities," Goebel said. "I am going to take this week to resolve my equipment problems and begin preparing for the U.S. Championships."

Canadian national champion Emanuel Sandhu will replace Goebel in the Grand Prix Final, which begins Friday in Colorado Springs. Goebel's withdrawal leaves U.S. champion Michael Weiss as the only American in the men's event at the Grand Prix Final.

Goebel has had equipment problems before, but never to this extent. Last season, he did not find a suitable pair of boots until after nationals, where he finished second to Weiss and had a poor free skate. He wound up second at worlds to Evgeni Plushenko and had his strongest performance of the year.

But the equipment problems persisted. Goebel has been trying since the summer to find a blade mounting that won't cause him pain or hamper his training. He's been unable to practice his trademark quadruple jumps with consistency, and he's had trouble doing footwork and spins, as well.

He won the Cup of China, and finished second at NHK. But he was fourth last weekend in the International Figure Skating Challenge.