Lysacek Out of World Championships

Two-time U.S. figure skating champion Evan Lysacek withdrew from next week's world championships after hurting his left arm in a fall during practice.

Lysacek's right skate blade broke on the landing of a triple axel Wednesday, and the fall injured his left forearm, elbow and shoulder. No bones were broken, but he's wearing a soft cast and will be in a sling for about a week. Doctors have told him not to jump or do spins for two weeks.

The world championships begin Tuesday in Goteborg, Sweden.

"I'm obviously disappointed that I won't be there," Lysacek said. "I've been skating very well, and I really felt like the momentum was building. I'm going to continue to train as hard as I can, work to get this equipment issue straightened out, and return strong for next season."

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Skating On Thin Ice?

Even by the standards of figure skating, this was a strange event.
The 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which ended Sunday, were filled with more oddities than a French judge's scorecard.

Somehow, despite a judging system that's more complex than a computer manual, Coatesville native Johnny Weir and rival Evan Lysacek ended the men's competition with the same score, 244.77. Lysacek was awarded his second straight title because he had bested Weir in the free skate.

The combined age of the top four finishers in the women's event - Mirai Nagasu (14), Rachael Flatt (15), Ashley Wagner (16) and Caroline Zhang (14) - is 59. That's 19 years younger than NBC commentator Dick Button.

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