CLEVELAND — Evan Lysacek skated better than he has all season, putting down a performance worthy of his stature as winner of the last two U.S. titles.
It wasn't good enough, because Jeremy Abbott immediately followed with two minutes 40 seconds of skating that underscored his stature as the new star of U.S. men's skating.
They were the first two skaters on the ice in Friday's short program at the U.S. championships, and they made the 17 who followed seem irrelevant.
Abbott (86.40), of Aspen, Colo., and Lysacek (83.59), of Naperville, Ill., both topped the previous top score for a short program at nationals, 83.40 by Johnny Weir a year ago.
Weir became a non-factor after he popped the triple axel in his short program and wound up seventh with 70.76 points.
Parker Pennington, the 2001 junior champion whose senior career had been relentlessly underwhelming, took third
"I'm going to try not to cry," Weir said. "The performance was a big disappointment."
Before this season, this meet might have been presumed to be another round in the rivalry between Lysacek and Weir, who have won the last five titles.
"I feel like the national championships is always a little bit about Evan and Johnny," Abbott said. "My goal was to maybe break through that."
He did it with fluid, nearly flawless skating, belying the discomfort of having suddenly assumed a favorite's role after becoming the top-rated U.S. man in the fall portion of the season. That included Abbott's surprise win in the Grand Prix Final.
"Coming in as the Grand Prix champion, I put a lot of pressure on myself to almost be perfect, and I struggled a little bit with my training before I put all that aside," said Abbott, 23, who was fourth at nationals the last two years.
Skating to the Albinoni "Adagio," Abbott captured the minor-key mood of the haunting Baroque piece with his understated movements: effortless jumps, dynamic spins and expressive footwork sequences.
"I have seen Jeremy skate like this in training for a couple years now," said his coach, Tom Zakrajsek.
After years of erratic performances that undermined his talent, Abbott has found a consistency that makes his recent skating draw comparisons to the late John Curry of Great Britain, the 1976 Olympic champion whom many regard as the consummate artist on ice.
"The artistic side of the sport is what drew me to it," Abbott said.
