Evan Frank Lysacek (; born June 4, 1985) is an American retired figure skater. He is the 2010
Olympic champion
This article includes lists of all Olympic medalists since 1896, organized by each Olympic sport or discipline, and also by Olympiad.
Medalist with most medals by sport Summer Olympic sports
Winter Olympic sports
A. Including military patrol e ...
, the 2009
World champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, a two-time (2005, 2007)
Four Continents champion, the 2009
Grand Prix Final champion, and a two-time (2007, 2008)
U.S. national champion. Lysacek was the 2010
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...
's SportsMan of the Year,
and the winner of the
James E. Sullivan Award
The AAU James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), is awarded annually in April to "the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States". Representatives from the AAU created the AAU Sullivan Award with the int ...
as the top U.S. amateur athlete of 2010.
On January 22, 2016, he was inducted into the
U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Evan Lysacek was born in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, and raised in nearby
Naperville
Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is in the Chicago metro area, west of the city.
Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. The city was ...
. His mother, Tanya (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Santoro), is a
substitute teacher
A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is absent or unavailable; e.g., because of illness, personal leave, maternal leave and so on. "Substitute teacher" (usually abbreviated as "sub") is the most co ...
in Naperville, and his father, Don, is a
building contractor
A general contractor, main contractor or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of ...
.
[ He has an older sister, Laura, and a younger sister, Christina, who played on a nationally ranked ]volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
team.[ His cousin Cole Chason is a former punter for the ]Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...
.[ Lysacek attended Tate Woods Elementary School in ]Lisle, Illinois
Lisle ( ) is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,390 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the population was recorded to be 23,270. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Illinois Technology and Resea ...
, then he attended Spring Brook Elementary and Gregory Middle School. He graduated from Neuqua Valley High School
Neuqua Valley High School (NVHS) is a public four-year high school located near the corner of Illinois Route 59 and 95th Street in Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Neuqua Valley is the counterpar ...
in 2003. During high school, Lysacek was a member of the honor roll, where he earned a number of academic achievement awards, including the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence in 1999.[
Lysacek is of half Czech descent; his paternal great-grandfather František Lysáček emigrated from ]Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
's Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The me ...
region to Chicago in 1925.[ On his maternal side, he is of one-quarter Italian descent.] He is a Greek Orthodox Christian
The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...
,[ having stated that one of his most prized possessions is his ]Orthodox cross
The Russian Orthodox Cross (or just the Orthodox Cross by some Russian Orthodox traditions) is a variation of the Christian cross since the 16th century in Russia, although it bears some similarity to a cross with a bottom crossbeam slanted the ...
.[ He wears Graf figure skating boots.]
Lysacek moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in 2003, following his graduation from high school. He owns homes in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, and El Segundo, California
El Segundo ( , ; ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments. The population was 16,731 as of th ...
.
Lysacek studied acting, having taken method acting
Method acting, informally known as The Method, is a range of training and rehearsal techniques, as formulated by a number of different theatre practitioners, that seeks to encourage sincere and expressive performances through identifying with, u ...
classes at the Professional Arts School in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...
. He appeared in the independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
''Skate Great!'', playing a Russian Olympic gold medalist.[ He uses power yoga as conditioning training.][
In September 2014, Lysacek moved to ]New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
to pursue a career in commercial real estate.[ In 2015, he started working for ]Vera Wang
Vera Ellen Wang (; born June 27, 1949) is an American fashion designer.
Early life
Vera Ellen Wang was born June 27, 1949 in New York City to Chinese parents who emigrated to the United States in the mid-1940s. Her mother, Florence Wu (Wu ...
, his former costume designer.[ He became engaged to real estate developer Duangpatra "Dang" Bodiratnangkura in April 2019.][ They married in December 2019 in ]Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
, Thailand.[
]
Career
Lysacek began skating at the age of eight.[ His grandmother had always wanted to be in the ]Ice Capades
The Ice Capades were traveling entertainment shows featuring theatrical ice skating performances. Shows often featured former Winter Olympic Games, Olympic and United States Figure Skating Championships, US National Champion figure skating, figur ...
, so she bought him skates for Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
. He originally wanted to play hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
, so his mother enrolled him and his sister Laura in figure-skating lessons to learn how to skate. Lysacek was soon competing as a figure skater.
Early career
In 1996, Lysacek won the U.S. national title at the Juvenile level – the lowest qualifying level in the U.S. Figure Skating competition structure. In 1997, he moved up to Intermediate and won the pewter medal (fourth place) at the Junior Olympics, after winning both his regional and his sectional qualifying competitions. After failing to qualify for Nationals on the novice level in 1998, Lysacek won the U.S. Novice title at the 1999 U.S. Championships at the age of thirteen.
Junior career
1999–2000 season
In the 1999–2000 season, Lysacek made his international junior debut and competed on the 1999–2000 ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. He placed seventh at his first event and then won his second event. He was the third alternate to the 1999–2000 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final.[
At the 2000 U.S. Championships, Lysacek won the Junior title] at the age of fourteen. He placed fifth in the short program and first in the free skate, placing first overall.[ He was the first male skater since ]Terry Kubicka
Terry Kubicka (born April 3, 1956) is an American retired figure skater who is known as the first American to perform the difficult triple Lutz jump. He is the 1974 Prague Skate champion, 1975 Skate Canada International bronze medalist, and 19 ...
to win back-to-back Novice and Junior Men's titles in the United States.[ The win on the junior level was unusual in that Lysacek moved from third to first overall while sitting backstage, because he won through a tiebreak in the 6.0 ordinal system.][
Lysacek was tied with ]Parker Pennington
Parker Blair Pennington (born September 13, 1984) is an American figure skater. He won silver medals at the 2006 Nebelhorn Trophy and 2007 Finlandia Trophy, three gold medals on the JGP series, and bronze at the 2002 JGP Final. Pennington won ...
in second place ordinals and had one more first place ordinal, giving him the win in the free skate in the Total Ordinals of Majority tiebreaker, which pushed him ahead in overall factored placements, allowing him to win the title overall.[ Following the U.S. Championships, he was assigned to the 2000 ]Gardena Spring Trophy
The Egna Spring Trophy, formerly the Gardena Spring Trophy (through 2016), is an annual international figure skating competition. It is held every spring in Val Gardena in Italy. Medals are awarded in men's and ladies' singles and sometimes in oth ...
in Urtijëi
Urtijëi (; german: St. Ulrich in Gröden ; it, Ortisei ) is a town of 4,637 inhabitants in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It occupies the Val Gardena within the Dolomites, a mountain chain that is part of the Alps.
Geography
Urtijëi borders th ...
where he won the silver medal on the junior level.
2000–2001 season
Lysacek had a strong showing in the 2000–2001 season. He competed in his second season on the Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
circuit and won two silver medals. He was the 7th qualifier for the 2000–2001 Junior Grand Prix Final[ and placed 8th at the Final.
He made his senior national debut at the 2001 U.S. Championships, placing 12th at the age of fifteen. Lysacek was named second alternate to the US team to the 2001 World Junior Championships and was placed on the team after ]Ryan Bradley
Ryan Scott Bradley (born November 17, 1983) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is the 2008 Skate Canada International silver medalist, the 2009 Skate America bronze medalist, the 2011 U.S. national champion, and a three-time U ...
[ withdrew due to injury. Lysacek performed two clean programs and came in second behind fellow American ]Johnny Weir
John Garvin Weir (; born July 2, 1984) is an American figure skater and television commentator. He is a two-time Olympian (representing the United States in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics, respectively), the 2008 World bronze medalist, a t ...
, giving the United States a gold and a silver on the World Junior podium for the first time since 1987.[
]
2001–2002 season
Over the next season, Lysacek dealt with several injuries, including broken ribs, which resulted in lost training time. After the September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
, the United States Figure Skating Association
U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States. It is recognized as such by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee "USOPC" under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act an ...
cancelled the 2001–2002 ISU Junior Grand Prix event to be held in Arizona[ and did not allow its junior skaters to compete on the Junior Grand Prix circuit for the rest of that season.][ At the 2002 U.S. Championships, Lysacek repeated his 12th-place finish from the previous year and was not selected for the team to the 2002 World Junior Championships.][ He was sent to the 2002 ]Triglav Trophy
The Triglav Trophy is an annual international figure skating competition held in the spring in Jesenice, Slovenia. The competition takes its name from the nearby mountain Triglav
Triglav (; german: Terglau; it, Tricorno), with an elevation o ...
in April, where he won the gold medal on the junior level.[
]
2002–2003 season
After that, Lysacek changed his diet and his training habits.[ In the 2002–2003 season, he competed on the ]2002–2003 ISU Junior Grand Prix
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
circuit and won two silver medals. He was the 4th qualifier for the 2002–2003 Junior Grand Prix Final,[ where he placed 5th. For the 2003 U.S. Championships, his goal had been to place in the top ten. He achieved this with a 7th-place finish.
Lysacek was named third alternate for the 2003 Four Continents Championships and was placed on the team after other skaters withdrew. He placed 10th at this event in his senior international debut. He was also named to the 2003 Junior Worlds team; following the withdrawal of ]Parker Pennington
Parker Blair Pennington (born September 13, 1984) is an American figure skater. He won silver medals at the 2006 Nebelhorn Trophy and 2007 Finlandia Trophy, three gold medals on the JGP series, and bronze at the 2002 JGP Final. Pennington won ...
, the higher-ranked man on the two-man team, Lysacek was the only United States men's skater at the competition. He landed his first clean triple Axel jump of his career in the qualifying round of this competition and his second clean one in the free skate.[
]
2003–2004 season
After graduating from high school in 2003, Lysacek made a coaching change and began to work with Ken Congemi and Frank Carroll in El Segundo, California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. With Congemi and Carroll, Lysacek won both of his Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
events.[ He was the second qualifier to the 2003–2004 Junior Grand Prix Final][ and won the event. He placed 5th at the 2004 U.S. Championships. At the 2004 Four Continents he won the bronze medal, his first senior-level international medal. He then went on to compete at the 2004 World Junior Championships, where he won a third silver medal.
]
Senior career
2004–2005 season
In the 2004–2005 season, having aged out of the junior level at age 19, Evan Lysacek made his senior international debut. Skating through a hip injury,[ Lysacek placed fifth at the ]2004 Skate America
The 2004 Skate America was the first event of six in the 2004–05 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 21–24. Med ...
, the first Grand Prix event of his career. He repeated that placement a few weeks later at the 2004 Cup of Russia. At the 2005 U.S. Championships, Lysacek won the bronze medal after receiving the only 6.0 of his career for his short program.[ He went on to win his first senior international title at the 2005 Four Continents. He competed next at the 2005 World Championships in ]Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
. There, he won a surprising bronze medal at his first senior World Championships, a competition for which his goal had been only to qualify for the free skate.[
]
2005–2006 season
In the 2005–2006 season, Lysacek again competed on the Grand Prix. He placed second at the 2005 Skate America
The 2005 Skate America was the first event of six in the 2005–06 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on October 20–23. ...
, but it was clear that his '' Grease'' free skate was not working. Lysacek and coach Frank Carroll made the decision to find a new long program.[ Lysacek's new ''Carmen'' program was a success at the 2005 NHK Trophy, where Lysacek placed second. Lysacek was the only American man to qualify for the 2005–2006 Grand Prix Final,][ but he withdrew before the event because of ]bursitis
Bursitis is the inflammation of one or more bursae (fluid filled sacs) of synovial fluid in the body. They are lined with a synovial membrane that secretes a lubricating synovial fluid. There are more than 150 bursae in the human body. The bursa ...
and tendinitis
Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder (rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow (tennis elbo ...
in his right hip.[
At the 2006 U.S. Championships, the ]de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
Olympic qualifier, Lysacek was third after the short program, but pulled up to win the free skate, finishing second overall. He was named to the 2006 Winter Olympic team along with Johnny Weir
John Garvin Weir (; born July 2, 1984) is an American figure skater and television commentator. He is a two-time Olympian (representing the United States in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics, respectively), the 2008 World bronze medalist, a t ...
and Matthew Savoie Matthew Savoie may refer to:
* Matthew Savoie (figure skater)
* Matthew Savoie (ice hockey)
Matthew Savoie (born January 1, 2004) is a Canadian junior ice hockey centre for the Wenatchee Wild of the Western Hockey League (WHL) as a prospect of th ...
.[ At the Olympics, following a 10th-place finish in the short program, Lysacek became sick with the stomach flu. Unable to practice, he stayed in bed at the Olympic village, receiving fluids from IVs. After considering withdrawing, he decided to skate the next day and went on to skate a career-best free skate.][ He finished his free skate with eight triple jumps and was ranked third of the night. He finished fourth overall, seven points below the bronze. He commentated on his free-skating program on '']Olympic Ice
Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opa ...
'' the next day with Scott Hamilton and Mary Carillo
Mary Carillo (born March 15, 1957) is an American sportscaster and former professional tennis player. She is an analyst for '' Tennis on NBC'' and a reporter for NBC Olympic broadcasts.
Career
Tennis
Carillo played on the women's professional ...
.
Lysacek ended his season by winning the bronze medal at the 2006 World Championships in Calgary, Alberta
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...
. He was once again troubled by illness, having been administered three different antibiotics to fight a bacterial infection, which at one point, caused him to cough up blood. He rose from seventh place in the short to finish third on the strength of his free-skating program. After the World Championships, Lysacek toured with Champions on Ice
Champions on Ice was a touring ice show in the United States. The show featured a large cast of both professional and Olympic-eligible figure skaters along with novelty acts such as skating acrobats. The shows were focused primarily on solo per ...
as a full member of the cast.
2006–2007 season
In the 2006–2007 season, Lysacek placed second at the 2006 Skate America. Two weeks later, Lysacek won the gold medal at the 2006 Cup of China
The 2006 Cup of China was the third event of six in the 2006–07 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Nanjing on November 9 ...
by a 20-point margin.[ He was the fourth qualifier for the 2006–2007 Grand Prix Final][ in his second consecutive year in qualifying for the event. However, he withdrew from the competition before he was to skate his short program due to an injury to his hip.][
Lysacek resumed training a few weeks later.] At the 2007 U.S. Championships, he performed his first clean short program of the season, then went on to land his first clean quadruple jump in competition, a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop jump, in the long program, to win his first national title.[ A week later, Lysacek competed in the 2007 Four Continents. He was fourth after the short program, but made yet another comeback in the free skate, landing a clean quadruple combination, to earn a new personal best and to win his second Four Continents title.
At the 2007 World Championships, Lysacek made his first attempt at landing a quadruple jump in the short program. He attempted a quad-triple, but stepped out of the quad and put his hand down, and followed it with a double.][ He placed fifth in the short program and earned himself his first new short program personal best in two years.] In the long program, he completed a quadruple toe-loop as the first part of a quad-triple combination, but lost control of the landing, adding a three turn
A 3 turn is a figure skating element which involves both a change in direction and a change in edge. For example, when a skater executes a forward outside 3 turn, the skater begins on a forward outside edge and finishes on a backwards inside edge ...
after it, and was unable to complete the following triple as intended.[ He performed a double loop instead of a planned triple loop] and placed fifth once again in the long program, placing fifth over all.
Lysacek toured over the summer of 2007 with Champions on Ice
Champions on Ice was a touring ice show in the United States. The show featured a large cast of both professional and Olympic-eligible figure skaters along with novelty acts such as skating acrobats. The shows were focused primarily on solo per ...
for the second consecutive year.
2007–2008 season
Lysacek began the 2007–2008 season at the 2007 Skate America. He underrotated and fell on an attempted quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop[ in the short program, receiving only one point for that element.][ He was in second place going into the free skate. He won the free skate,][ landing a clean quadruple jump,][ but was unable to pull up to first overall, due to ]Daisuke Takahashi
is a common masculine Japanese given name.
Possible writings
Daisuke can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:
*大輔, "big, assist"
*大介, "big, mediate"
*大祐, "big, bless"
*大助, "big, help"
*大典, "big, law/rule ...
's twelve point lead after the short program.[ He went on to the 2007 Cup of China, where he won the short program with a score of 81.55, improving his personal best by almost thirteen points.][ He placed second in the free skate after falling on his quadruple jump, and finished second overall to Johnny Weir.][
At the 2007–2008 Grand Prix Final, Lysacek was credited with a quadruple jump in both his programs][ and won the bronze medal overall, after placing third in both segments of the competition.][ He earned a new overall personal best of 229.78 points.
At the 2008 U.S. Championships, Lysacek was second after the short program and won the free skate. Although he tied with ]Johnny Weir
John Garvin Weir (; born July 2, 1984) is an American figure skater and television commentator. He is a two-time Olympian (representing the United States in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics, respectively), the 2008 World bronze medalist, a t ...
on the overall score, Lysacek won the title on the tiebreaker, thereby earning his second national title.[
His next event was the 2008 Four Continents, where he placed second in the short program and third in the free skate, and finished third overall. Lysacek was also named to the team for the 2008 World Championships. A week before the event, he was forced to withdraw due to an injury sustained while attempting a ]triple Axel
Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble":
Sports
* Triple (baseball), a three-base hit
* A basketball three-point field goal
* A figure skating jump with three rotations
* In bowling terms, three strikes in a row
* I ...
; the blade broke off of his boot and he injured the left side of his body, from his forearm to his shoulder, and required a cast.[ Lysacek toured over the summer of 2008 with the Stars on Ice tour.
]
2008–2009 season
Lysacek began the 2008–2009 season at the 2008 Skate America, where he won the bronze medal. The following week, he competed at the 2008 Skate Canada International, where he won a second bronze medal.[ Lysacek was the second alternate for the 2008–2009 Grand Prix Final.][
At the 2009 U.S. Championships, Lysacek placed second in the short program,][ 2.81 points behind leader ]Jeremy Abbott
Jeremy Abbott (born June 5, 1985) is a former American figure skater. He is the 2008 Grand Prix Final champion, a two-time (2007, 2011) Four Continents bronze medalist, and a four-time (2009, 2010, 2012, 2014) U.S. national champion. He repres ...
and 7.42 points ahead of third-place finisher Parker Pennington
Parker Blair Pennington (born September 13, 1984) is an American figure skater. He won silver medals at the 2006 Nebelhorn Trophy and 2007 Finlandia Trophy, three gold medals on the JGP series, and bronze at the 2002 JGP Final. Pennington won ...
. In the free skate, Lysacek fell on his quadruple combination attempt and placed fourth in that segment of the competition.[ He won the bronze medal overall,][ placing 0.60 points behind silver medalist ]Brandon Mroz
Brandon Mroz (born December 22, 1990) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is the 2009 U.S. silver medalist and the 2006 & 2007 Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalist. He is the first skater to have completed a quadruple Lutz j ...
and 7.70 points ahead of pewter medalist Ryan Bradley
Ryan Scott Bradley (born November 17, 1983) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is the 2008 Skate Canada International silver medalist, the 2009 Skate America bronze medalist, the 2011 U.S. national champion, and a three-time U ...
. Due to his placement at the U.S. Championships, Lysacek was named to the teams to the 2009 Four Continents Championships and the 2009 World Championships.[
At the 2009 Four Continents, Lysacek placed second in the short program, 7.25 points behind leader ]Patrick Chan
Patrick Lewis Wai–Kuan Chan (born December 31, 1990) is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. He is a 2018 Olympic gold medallist in the team event, 2014 Olympic silver medallist in the men's and team events, a three–time World ch ...
.[ He placed second in the free skating segment as well, placing 4.79 behind Chan.][ He won the silver medal overall by a margin of 15.39 points ahead of bronze medalist ]Takahiko Kozuka
is a former competitive Japanese figure skater. He is the 2011 World silver medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Final medalist, a two-time Four Continents medalist, and the 2010–11 Japanese national champion. He is also the 2006 World Jun ...
.[
At the 2009 World Championships, Lysacek placed second in the short program.][ He then won the free skating segment to win the competition overall, becoming the first American man since ]Todd Eldredge
Todd James Eldredge (born August 28, 1971) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is the 1996 World champion, a six-time U.S. national champion (1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002), a three-time Olympian (1992, 1998, 2002), and a ...
in 1996 to win the World title.[ His placement, combined with that of ]Brandon Mroz
Brandon Mroz (born December 22, 1990) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is the 2009 U.S. silver medalist and the 2006 & 2007 Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalist. He is the first skater to have completed a quadruple Lutz j ...
,[ qualified the United States for three entries in the men's event at the ]2010 Winter Olympics
)''
, nations = 82
, athletes = 2,626
, events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening = February 12, 2010
, closing = February 28, 2010
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...
.[ At the World Championships, Lysacek competed with a ]stress fracture
A stress fracture is a fatigue-induced bone fracture caused by repeated stress over time. Instead of resulting from a single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of accumulated injury from repeated submaximal loading, such as running or ...
in his left foot, which prevented him from trying a quadruple jump at the competition.[ During the off-season, Lysacek took two months off from skating to give the injury time to heal.] He was called the frontrunner for the 2010 Olympic gold by some journalists.[
During the later part of the season and during the off-season, Lysacek toured with Stars on Ice.][
]
2009–2010 season
Lysacek began the 2009–2010 season at the 2009 Cup of China,[ where he placed third in the short program and second in the free skating to win the silver medal overall. Afterwards he went on to the 2009 Skate America, where he won both segments of the competition and won the gold medal overall in his sixth time competing at Skate America.][ Lysacek was the second qualifier for the 2009–2010 Grand Prix Final.][
At the Grand Prix Final, Lysacek placed second in the short program and won the free skating to win the title overall. He became the second consecutive American to win the title, following ]Jeremy Abbott
Jeremy Abbott (born June 5, 1985) is a former American figure skater. He is the 2008 Grand Prix Final champion, a two-time (2007, 2011) Four Continents bronze medalist, and a four-time (2009, 2010, 2012, 2014) U.S. national champion. He repres ...
's win the year before.[ At the 2010 U.S. Championships, he placed second in the short program and third in the free skating to win the silver medal overall.][ He was named to the Olympic team.]
At the 2010 Winter Olympics
)''
, nations = 82
, athletes = 2,626
, events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening = February 12, 2010
, closing = February 28, 2010
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...
, Lysacek placed second in the short program, with a score of 90.30 without quadruple jumps.[ He won the free skate with a score of 167.37 and won the gold medal overall with a total score of 257.67, a margin of 1.31 over silver medalist ]Evgeni Plushenko
Evgeni Viktorovich Plushenko (, born 3 November 1982) is a Russian former figure skater. He is a four-time Olympic medalist (2006 gold, 2014 team gold, 2002 & 2010 silver), a three-time World champion (2001, 2003, 2004), a seven-time European ...
. He became the first American to win the Olympic title in men's singles since Brian Boitano
Brian Anthony Boitano (born October 22, 1963) is an American figure skater from Sunnyvale, California. He is the 1988 Olympic champion, the 1986 and 1988 World Champion, and the 1985–1988 U.S. National Champion.
He turned professional foll ...
[ in 1988, and the first reigning world champion to win since Scott Hamilton in 1984.][
He had originally been named to the team for the 2010 World Championships.][ He withdrew from the World team following his win at the Olympics.][
Lysacek was the recipient of the prestigious ]James E. Sullivan Award
The AAU James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), is awarded annually in April to "the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States". Representatives from the AAU created the AAU Sullivan Award with the int ...
(2010), which is given to America's best amateur athlete; he was the fourth figure skater to win the award after Dick Button
Richard Totten Button (born July 18, 1929) is an American former figure skater and skating analyst. He is a two-time Olympic champion (1948, 1952) and five-time consecutive World champion (1948–1952). He is also the only non-European man to ha ...
in 1949, Michelle Kwan
Michelle Wingshan Kwan (born July 7, 1980) is a retired competitive figure skater and diplomat serving as United States Ambassador to Belize. In figure skating Kwan is a two-time Olympic medalist (silver in 1998, bronze in 2002), a five-time ...
in 2001 and Sarah Hughes
Sarah Elizabeth Hughes (born May 2, 1985) is a former American competitive figure skater. She is the 2002 Olympic Champion and the 2001 World bronze medalist in ladies' singles.
Personal life
Hughes was born in Great Neck, New York, a subur ...
in 2002.
2010–present
Lysacek did not skate competitively in 2010–2011 but did not announce a retirement.
In June 2011, he received two Grand Prix assignments for the 2011–2012 season – 2011 Skate America and 2011 Trophée Eric Bompard. He resumed training with Frank Carroll at Lake Arrowhead, California, and his publicist said he would make a decision whether to compete later in the summer.[ In September, he announced that his goal was to participate in the ]2014 Winter Olympics
, ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'')
, nations = 88
, events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, athletes = 2,873
, opening = 7 February 2014
, closing = 23 February 2014
, opened_by = President Vladimir Putin
, cauldron =
, stadium = Fisht Olympic ...
.[ In October, U.S. Figure Skating announced that he would not compete at the 2011 Skate America due to a financial disagreement, and Lysacek confirmed that he would not take part in the Grand Prix series, explaining on his Twitter that "a suitable agreement could not be reached between U.S. Figure Skating and myself by the event entry deadline".][ In November, Lysacek confirmed he would not enter the 2012 U.S. Championships in January 2012][ but negotiations with U.S. Figure Skating continued.][
On August 10, 2012, U.S. Figure Skating announced that an agreement had been reached and Lysacek would return to competition at the ]2012 Skate America
The 2012 Hilton HHonors Skate America was the first event of six in the 2012–13 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington on October 19 ...
.[ He withdrew after aggravating a groin injury.][ On November 20, 2012, Lysacek underwent surgery to repair a torn muscle in his lower abdomen, i.e. a sports hernia, with an expected period of six weeks off the ice.][ In January 2013, he withdrew from the 2013 U.S. Championships, saying he was healthy but needed an additional three weeks to return to competition form.][ Carroll said it would be a long recovery.][
On June 3, 2013, it was announced that Lysacek would compete at one ]ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating (known as ISU Champions Series from 1995 to 1997) is a series of senior international figure skating competitions organized by the International Skating Union. The invitational series was inaugurated in 1995, in ...
event, the 2013 Skate America.[ However, on September 30, 2013, it was announced that he had withdrawn.][ On December 10, 2013, Lysacek announced on ]The Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was ...
that he would not attempt to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics
, ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'')
, nations = 88
, events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, athletes = 2,873
, opening = 7 February 2014
, closing = 23 February 2014
, opened_by = President Vladimir Putin
, cauldron =
, stadium = Fisht Olympic ...
in Sochi
Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...
, due to the labrum injury which he sustained in September.[
On August 30, 2014, during a TV interview, Lysacek mentioned his competitive skating career was coming to an end.][
On December 15, 2015, U.S. Figure Skating announced Lysacek would be a member of the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame Class of 2016.][ The induction ceremony was held on January 22, 2016, at the 2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.][
]
Coaches and choreographers
Evan Lysacek was originally coached by Candice Brown in Naperville.[ After that, he worked with Deborah Stoery in ]Naperville, Illinois
Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is in the Chicago metro area, west of the city.
Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. The city was ...
and Addison, Illinois
Addison is a village located in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,942 at the 2010 census.
History
The community itself was originally named Dunkley's Grove after the settler Hezekia ...
for three years. For the next two years, he had an arrangement where he would train under both Addison-based Maria Jeżak-Athey and Moscow-based Viktor Kudriavtsev
Viktor Nikolayevich Kudriavtsev (russian: Виктор Николаевич Кудрявцев; born 24 October 1937 in Tula, Russia) is a Russian figure skating coach and choreographer.
Career
Kudriavtsev began skating at age 16 and turned to ...
. Kudriavtsev would come to Chicago for part of the year to coach, and Lysacek spent his summers at Kudriavtsev's summer training camps in Moscow, Russia
Moscow ( , American English, US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia. The city stands on t ...
and Flims, Switzerland
Flims ( rm, Flem) is a municipality in the Imboden Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The town of Flims is dominated by the Flimserstein which one can see from almost anywhere in the area.
Flims consists of the village of Flims (called ...
. When that arrangement proved untenable, Kudriavtsev recommended Lysacek to Carroll, who agreed to coach Lysacek on the condition that Lysacek would work more with Congemi than with himself, due to Carroll's commitments to Timothy Goebel
Timothy Richard Goebel (born September 10, 1980) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is the 2002 Olympic bronze medalist. He was the first person to land a quadruple salchow jump in competition and the first person to land th ...
.[ Lysacek moved to El Segundo, ]California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
to work with Frank Carroll and Ken Congemi in June 2003. Lysacek worked with both Congemi and Carroll through the 2006–2007 season, after which he began working solely with Carroll. He has also trained with ballerina Galina Barinova.
Lysacek trained with Carroll at the Toyota Sports Center
The Toyota Sports Center (formerly the HealthSouth Training Center) is a practice facility for the Los Angeles Kings, and the Ontario Reign, located on 555 North Nash Street in El Segundo, California. The $24 million, facility broke ground o ...
in El Segundo, California
El Segundo ( , ; ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments. The population was 16,731 as of th ...
. After Carroll moved to Palm Springs, they decided to meet midway at the Ice Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead and Ontario, California
Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...
,[ and Karen Kwan-Oppegard coached him at the East West Ice Palace in ]Artesia, California
Artesia (Spanish for "artesian aquifer") is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California. Artesia was incorporated on May 29, 1959, and is one of Los Angeles County's Gateway Cities. The city has a 2010 census population of 16,522. Artesi ...
.[ In June 2013, Carroll moved back to the Toyota Sports Center.][
Lysacek has worked with many choreographers over the years, including Oleg Epstein][ and ]Kurt Browning
Kurt Browning, (born June 18, 1966) is a Canadian figure skater, choreographer and commentator. He is the first skater to land a ratified quadruple jump in competition. He is a four-time World Champion and Canadian national champion.
Career ...
. Both his programs for the 2007–2008 season were choreographed by Lori Nichol Lori Nichol is a Canadian figure skating choreographer and coach. She was a performer for the John Curry Company from 1983 to 1986 and won the silver medal at the World Professional Championships in 1983. She is a four-time recipient of the Profes ...
. He worked with Tatiana Tarasova
Tatiana Anatolyevna Tarasova (; born 13 February 1947) is a Russian figure skating coach and national figure skating team adviser. Tarasova has been coach to more world and Olympic champions than any other coach in skating history. Her students h ...
on his programs for the 2008–2009 season.[ He returned to Nichol for the 2009–2010 season.]
Endorsements and public life
Lysacek supports a number of charities
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).
The legal definition of a cha ...
. He participated in Target – A Time for Heroes, a celebrity charity event benefiting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing pediatric HIV infection and eliminating pediatric AIDS through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs. Founded in 1988 ...
.[ He also supports the ]Dana–Farber Cancer Institute
Dana–Farber Cancer Institute is a comprehensive cancer treatment and research institution in Boston, Massachusetts. Dana–Farber is the founding member of Dana–Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Harvard's Comprehensive Cancer Center designated b ...
(Jimmy Fund).[ He began supporting Figure Skating in Harlem in 2006 and is a board member of the charity.][ Lysacek has attended their benefit gala in New York City regularly.][
Following his win at the ]2009 World Figure Skating Championships
The 2009 World Figure Skating Championships was a senior international figure skating competition in the 2008–09 season. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.
Results from th ...
, Lysacek acquired many sponsors, including Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
, AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
, and Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren, ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his co ...
. He also served as a spokesperson for Total Gym
Total Gym is the brand name for a line of fitness training equipment, created by Total Gym Global Corp, marketed and sold by Total Gym Commercial LLC and Total Gym Fitness, LLC. Total Gym equipment is used by physical therapy clinics, hospitals, ...
. In 2011, he switched agents from International Management Group to Creative Artists Agency.[ Lysacek left Creative Artists Agency in April 2012 and was represented by Shep Goldberg until his death in November 2014.][
In April 2012, the U.S. Department of State's ]Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world. It is responsible for the Un ...
named Lysacek a Sports Envoy.[
]
Costumes
In the past, Lysacek has worn costumes designed by Christian Dior
Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses a ...
,[ Gianfranco Ferre,] Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992, and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His achievements in fashion ...
, and Vera Wang
Vera Ellen Wang (; born June 27, 1949) is an American fashion designer.
Early life
Vera Ellen Wang was born June 27, 1949 in New York City to Chinese parents who emigrated to the United States in the mid-1940s. Her mother, Florence Wu (Wu ...
, American fashion designer and former figure skater. Wang created the mock tuxedo Lysacek wore when he won the 2009 World Championships.[ Lysacek and Wang also collaborated to design his costumes for the 2010 Winter Olympics, as well as those worn for the rest of the 2009–2010 season.][
]
''Dancing with the Stars''
Lysacek was a celebrity contestant on ''Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'' for the tenth season, which premiered on Monday, March 22, 2010.[ He and his professional dance partner ]Anna Trebunskaya
Anna Trebunskaya (russian: Анна Требунская; born 28 December 1980) is a Russian born American professional ballroom and Latin dancer, known for her appearances on ''Dancing with the Stars''. She now lives in Los Angeles and dances ...
made it to the finals and finished in second place to Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
and Derek Hough
Derek Bruce Hough (; born May 17, 1985) is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer, choreographer, actor and singer. From 2007 to 2016, Hough was a professional dancer on the ABC dance competition series ''Dancing with the Stars'', w ...
.
Programs
Post-2014
Pre-2014
Competitive highlights
''GP: Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
''
Detailed results
Small medals for short program and free skating awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals awarded for team results only.
Senior career
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lysacek, Evan
American male single skaters
Figure skaters at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Olympic figure skaters of the United States
Sportspeople from Naperville, Illinois
Figure skaters from Los Angeles
American people of Czech descent
American people of Italian descent
1985 births
Living people
Figure skaters at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in figure skating
Participants in American reality television series
James E. Sullivan Award recipients
World Figure Skating Championships medalists
Four Continents Figure Skating Championships medalists
World Junior Figure Skating Championships medalists
Medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Season-end world number one figure skaters
Sportspeople from the Chicago metropolitan area