Release courtesy of U.S. Figure Skating
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Evan Lysacek, the 2010 Olympic and two-time U.S. champion, announced today he will not compete for the remainder of 2010 and will instead take time off from competition to pursue other interests.
“The next few months will be very busy for me,” Lysacek said. “I will be working with sponsors and charities, including Ronald McDonald House and Ralph Lauren’s Pink Pony Foundation.”
He has not ruled out competing at the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Jan. 22-30 in Greensboro, N.C.
Lysacek will appear in U.S. Figure Skating’s upcoming cinematic feature RISE (premiering Feb. 17, 2011), a celebration of American figure skating that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Feb. 15, 1961, plane crash in which all the members of the U.S. World Figure Skating team perished. Also on his schedule is Disson’s “Improv-Ice” and “Progressive Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular” as well as the Dancing with the Stars tour in the United States and Canada.
Lysacek’s 2009-10 season included a silver medal at the Cup of China and gold at both Cancer.Net Skate America and International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. He followed his silver-medal win at the 2010 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January with gold at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, making him only the sixth American man to become Olympic champion and the first to do it since Brian Boitano won gold at the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary.
Lysacek has not ruled out a return to international competition.
“The 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi (Russia) are still very much on my radar,” Lysacek said. “I have not decided yet if I will try to compete at another Games, but I’m definitely keeping that option open.”
Lysacek has competed at 12 U.S. Championships — winning eight medals during that time — and captured U.S. titles at the juvenile (1996), novice (1999), junior (2000) and senior (2007, 08) levels. He has collected three World Championship medals – one gold (2009) and two bronze (2005, ’06).
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U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union. U.S. Figure Skating is comprised of more than 763 member clubs and Basic Skills Programs representing approximately 179,000 members. U.S. Figure Skating is charged with the development of the sport on all levels within the United States including athletes, officials, sanctioning of events and exhibitions, and establishing the rules and guidelines by which the sport is governed.
