Evan Lysacek relishes Olympic gold, addresses Plushenko criticism

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By Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY

VANCOUVER — Nearly 12 hours after Evan Lysacek finished the most magnificent skate of his life, he was asked how it felt to wake up wearing a gold medal.

"Well, I haven't gone to sleep yet so I don't know," he said amid laughter at a Friday news conference. "I keep feeling it and looking at it, but it hasn't sunk in."

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Lysacek became the first American man to win a gold medal in 22 years, beating out perhaps the toughest men's field in Olympic history. With a score of 257.67, he edged Russian silver medalist Evgeni Plushenko by 1.31 points. Japan's Daisuke Takahashi took the bronze becoming the first men's skater from his country to win an Olympic medal.

In the immediate aftermath, Plushenko, the 2006 gold medalist, and his coach Alexei Mishin disparaged Lysacek for winning without a quad. Nonethelelss, Lysacek had better marks on his technical elements, which includes the eight triples he landed with relative ease. Plushenko, known as a tremendous jumper, was a bit wobbly on some of his landings.

"If Olympic champion doesn't know how to jump quad … I don't know," Plushenko said after the result. "Now it's not men's skating. Now it's dancing. That's my point."

Mishin said that without the quad, the men's and women's competitions should be combined.

The vociferous bickering raged on back in Russia. Even Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sent Plushenko a telegram which said, "Your silver is worth gold," according to Reuters. Plushenko's wife,Yana Rudkovskaya, called the decision "a gross mistake" and, according to Reuters, demanded the Russian government "defend our sportsmen and protect their honor."

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Expect the off-ice Cold War to continue.

In his news conference, Lysacek handled all the questions about Plushenko's insolence with grace. He said he wasn't aware of the reaction in Russia, adding. "Nobody likes to lose."

Plushenko had retired in 2006 but, at 27, announced last spring he was coming back, hoping to become the first man since Dick Button in 1952 to win back-to-back Olympic titles.

"Plushenko is a great guy and a great skater. I've admired him for years," Lysacek said. "For him to discredit the field is not right. It's probably the strongest men's field there's ever been and I'm honored to be just one single member of that."

Lysacek's measured response showed a maturity beyond his 24 years. "I'm sure he didn't see what anyone else did because he skated last," Lysacek said. "All I know is that he's been a positive role model for me. … I guess I was a little disappointed that someone who was my role model would take a hit at me at one of the most special moments of my life. But, it's tough to lose. I'm sure he said stuff in the heat of the moment that maybe he doesn't mean so we'll try to … give him the benefit of the doubt. But congratulations to him on his third Olympic medal."

Though Plushenko's comments and even Tiger Woods' press conference grabbed a bit of the spotlight away from Lysacek the morning after, it didn't matter much. History will remember the medal, not the theatrics surrounding it. Lysacek joined Russia's Alexei Yagudin as the only men's skaters to own the Olympic, World and Grand Prix Final titles at the same time.

And he brought his coach, Frank Carroll, the first Olympic gold of his career. After decades of tutoring some of the finest American skaters, including Michelle Kwan, Carroll's top pupil finally reached the top step of the medal podium in an Olympic career that began in 1976.

"That's the first thought that came to my mind," Lysacek said. "He's really my secret weapon."

Carroll, 71, has coached four Olympic medalists — two silvers, a bronze and now this gold. "I had given up on having an Olympic gold medalist a long time ago," Carroll said Thursday night. "It's something I thought maybe would never happen. But it's so great it did. I'm just grateful. … I didn't give up."

His skater isn't about to either. Before the national championships last month, Lysacek said he couldn't imagine competing in the 2014 Olympics. But now he just might pull a Plushenko and continue his run.

Of course, the 2014 Games are in Russia making the prospect that much more delicious.

"I don't think they would love to see me," he said with a laugh. "If I can somehow get a visa into that country …

"I love skating. I can't imagine my life without it. I can't see just giving it up at this point. I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life and I'm going to take it one step at a time. I would love to continue … to keep competing."

And so he will.