For a few months I've noticed little hints here and there (that I just chalked up to hopeful fans) that former World Champ Stephane Lambiel, who retired last fall, wants to stage a comeback as well. Icenetwork snuck in at the of the Plushenko comeback article that Plushenko expects Lambiel to come back as well. At first, I would ask why Lambiel staged such a public retirement in fall of 2008 if he was only going to come back a year later to try to make the Olympics. But, I have seen many high profile athletes stage very public retirements, only to come back (Roger Clemens, Brett Favre...not sure if Lance Armstrong every officially retired but he took a long break). I think that there must be something about the competitive nature of these athletes that makes them unable to resist the pull of the game (or rink?), especially if they deem themselves still competitive. Still, retirements are rarer in skating than in other sports, where athletes like Michelle Kwan often stop competing but don't officially retire. So, I'll be surprised if Lambiel comes back for real.
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