Evan Lysacek nailed the best short program of his career on Monday night, scoring a 90.30. It was good enough only for second place. Once again, Evgeni Plushenko stood in the way, scoring an Olympic record 90.85 to garner the lead heading into the long program.
It begs to question whether Plushenko is even beatable? Lysacek will soon find out as the two skaters battle it out for the gold in the Men’s figure skating final.
Men Battle It Out For Gold In Figure Skating
Plushenko is the reigning Olympic champion who has dominated the sport over the past decade. In addition to the Olympic gold, he also has a silver medal from the 2002 Winter Games and is a three-time world champion. With a victory in the final, Plushenko will become the first back-to-back men’s Olympic champion since USA’s Dick Button (1948, 1952).
Just being present at the Olympics was in question for Plushenko after his extended hiatus from the sport. Shortly after the 2006 Winter Games, Plushenko disappeared from the figure skating scene. He didn’t begin training again until March 2009 with his first competition in October 2009. Since his return, he has been dominant, easily winning the Rostelecom Cup, the Russian Championships and European Championships. His victory at the European Championship was the sixth of his career.
While Plushenko has been on the sidelines, Lysacek has emerged as the heir apparent. After battling through the flu to gain a fourth-place showing in the 2006 Torino Winter Games, Lysacek has grown in both skill and maturity. After a hard luck withdrawal from the 2008 World Championships due to broken skate accident that put his arm in a cast, Lysacek rebounded in 2009 to claim the gold medal at the 2009 World Championships.
What makes this final interesting is that Lysacek usually puts himself in a rut in the short program and comes firing back in the free skate. This will not be the case entering the Olympic final. Plushenko typically has a comfortable cushion entering the free skate, and will have not only Lysacek but also Daisuke Takahashi breathing down his neck for the gold.
The final will air in primetime on NBC on Thursday night.
Tags: 2010 olympics, 2010 winter games, daisuke takahashi, evan lysacek, evgeni plushenko, figure skating
