Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek has decided not to compete at the upcoming world championships in Torino next month, according to Icenetwork. Per the article:
"I have decided that I will not be going to worlds,'' Lysacek said. "I still want to continue to compete, though.
"I'm not afraid to lose,'' he added as he looked at the gold medal draped around his neck. "And nothing would tarnish this anyway. Regardless of medals, I still have so much to thrive on in the sport. I'm not ready to say goodbye.''
Lysacek's withdrawal from the world championships opens up a spot for American Ryan Bradley to compete in Torino. Bradley placed fourth at the U.S. Championships last month in Spokane, Wash.
Johnny Weir has spoken about his plans to compete at the world championships, and possibly beyond that, per Icenetwork:
"I want worlds to be a statement," Weir, 25, told reporters and assorted guests. "I want to show up and skate the same way I did here; passionate, clean and beautiful.
"I want all of those things to happen again. And I want them to try to deny me a good placement again, because I think showing up once and doing it, that's what an Olympics is all about; it's about giving the performance of your life. But doing it twice in a row -- and hopefully getting rewarded the second time -- but if not, it'll be a message."
Torino may not be the end of the line, either.
"I can definitely see myself competing by Cup of Russia or by the time of the Grand Prix Final," Weir said.
Weir also said he will be upfront about competing:
Weir ended his comments with a vow: he won't play coy about his attentions. If he intends to compete next season, he will say so definitively, and soon.
"I'm not going to pull a Sasha Cohen or Michelle Kwan and say, 'I'm coming back, I'm coming back, I'm coming back' and then not do it," he said.
"I mean, thank God, Sasha finally did come back. But I'm not going to do that to people. I think it's rude, especially to my fans. If I'm going to skate, I'll tell them I'll skate."
As a skating blogger who felt she had to report it every time Cohen or Kwan said anything about a comeback, I would just like to say that I would appreciate that. Either compete, or don't. But don't pretend it's a possibility if it is not.
U.S. Champ Jeremy Abbott finished ninth in Vancouver, and he has made statements in the past about hoping to compete well at worlds, so it appears he is in too.
Evan Lysacek will be touring with Stars on Ice this spring and will likely be pursuing other opportunities. His name has been bandied about as a "Dancing with the Stars" contestant, but it doesn't appear that he is a cast member, yet.
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