AP News, January 26th, 2007
The rivalry is on, and round one goes to Evan Lysacek.
Lysacek edged Johnny Weir in the men's short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Thursday night. Lysacek finished with a personal-best 78.99 points after his first clean short program in about a year, putting him less than a point ahead of Weir. The three-time national champion scored 78.14 points.
"I got close," Weir said. "I'm going to keep fighting. To be in second place at the national championships, even though I've won three, it's still a great honor. ... It ain't over until the fat lady sings."
The free skate is Saturday. The women's short program was later Thursday.
Rivalries are part of what makes figure skating so much fun. Nancy-Tonya and the "Whack Heard 'Round the World," the Battle of the Brians, dueling Carmens _ there's nothing like a little drama to spice up the sequins and spins.
Lysacek and Weir have been more contemporaries than rivals the last few years. Lysacek had the advantage internationally, winning bronze medals at the last two world championships and finishing ahead of Weir in Turin. Weir has three U.S. titles, though, and those come with some serious bragging rights.
the rivalry has been kicked up a notch this year. Lysacek had a strong Grand Prix season while Weir struggled, and he came into nationals as much of an underdog as a three-time champion can be.
"In general, we're friendly," said Weir, who text-messaged Lysacek to wish him a happy Orthodox Christmas. "At competitions, we have to hate each other a lot."
That was obviously a joke. But the competition is anything but.
"It's good for U.S. skating," Weir said. "If Evan hadn't skated so well, I probably wouldn't have been pushed to the level I was pushed."
Lysacek has struggled with his short programs the last year, so much so even his family started asking him about it. There were no problems Thursday.
"When I'm really well-trained, really well-prepared and really want to win something, nothing can stop me," Lysacek said. "I was so happy and relieved, I can't put it into words."
Skating to music from "The Last Temptation of Christ," Lysacek's face and body conveyed passion so well, even the fans up in the rafters could feel it. He opened with a beautiful triple axel, carving the ice with a perfect edge on the landing.
His footwork was intricate, but what set it apart was the intensity with which he performed it. Every step had purpose, from the bottom of his toepicks to the tips of his fingers.
His only flaw was a slight travel on one of his spins.
The audience was already on its feet before his music stopped, and Lysacek responded with a scream and several pumps of his fists. He even took a small victory lap, skating around the barriers before coming to center ice for a final bow.
"I'm good at the short program and always have been. ... It's hard when you get an idea in your head, and it's hard not to get that idea in your head when you're hearing it and reading it," Lysacek said. "It's like, 'I'm trying people. I'm doing my best.'
"It was just this weight lifted off of my shoulders."
And it put the pressure firmly on Weir.
Weir has been bothered by what he calls a "hip-butt" injury, but his bigger problem was that he skated not to lose, rather than to win. Part of what makes Weir so delightful to watch is that he skates with ease and fluidity, the way kids did when they first discovered how much they love the sport.
But on Thursday, Weir seemed to be checking things off a list. Triple axel, done. Triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, done. Spins, done. Triple flip, done. And so on.
"Everything was just a little bit mish-mashed," Weir said.
He didn't do anything wrong, but he didn't do anything spectacular, either.
"Trying to go back and win again is hard," said Priscilla Hill, his longtime coach. "I was really proud he fought through that. That was not the easy skate you can have as an underdog."
Though Lysacek is in first place, the difference between the two is nothing. A more creative element here, a tighter spin there and the results in the free skate could easily flip. Ryan Bradley is in third place.
That's the other great thing about rivalries: You never know what the next competition is going to bring.
"I tell him to keep his eye on the skating, not the title. I think that's a death knell," said Frank Carroll, Lysacek's coach. "You can't get caught up in that, or it's not going to work."
