U.S. World Champions Say They 'Skated For' Coach Todd Sand After His Mid-Competition Heart Attack

Joosep Martinson - International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Todd Sand

Todd Sand is receiving lots of love from his friends, family and colleagues following his heart attack in Canada.

The 59-year-old two-time Olympian was in Calgary coaching Sonia Baram and Daniel Tioumentsev at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships when he suffered the health scare, according to U.S. Figure Skating.

It happened after Sand had coached the Orange County, Calif.-based pairs team in Wednesday night's short program at the Winsport Event Centre on Thursday, reported the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

Hours after Sand's heart attack, the pair — who Sand coaches with his former skating partner and now-wife, Jenni Meno — went on to win the 2023 world title with just a minor glitch in their routine, stated Olympics.com.

RELATED: Alexa Knierim, Brandon Frazier Are First U.S. Pair to Win Gold at Figure Skating Worlds Since 1979

JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty Todd Sand and Jenni Meno

RELATED: Olympian Ashley Cain-Gribble Ice Skates in the Streets of Texas During Historic Freeze: Watch

"There are a lot of emotions. We worked so hard to get here," Tioumentsev told Olympics.com.

"We found out this morning (about Sand being hospitalized)," he added. "It was a definite down-turn for me and Sophia. We skated for Todd and for everyone that has helped us through the season. It was very hard and we tried to remember what Todd told us — stay in the moment."

Pairs skater Alexa Knierim, who along with her partner Brandon Frazier is also coached by Sand and Meno, shared a number of social media posts detailing the impact of Sand's health scare over the past few days, writing on Instagram that "posting here helps me cope."

"Proud coach 🫶🏻(Worlds 2022)," she added on Saturday alongside two photos of Sand. "We are grinding. Going to make you proud again! 💜"

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Meanwhile, fellow pairs skaters whom Sand competed with, including Tai Babilonia, are keeping him in their thoughts.

"Sending so much love & healing powers to my skating brother Todd Sand ❤ 🙏🏽💪🏽 @sandmanskater," Babilonia wrote.

Todd Eldredge, former world champion and three-time Olympian, also shared his support for his fellow skater.

"Todd has been on my mind all day ❤️ Sending strong healing vibes," he wrote.