LONDON (AP) — Olympic champion Evan Lysacek is returning to competitive figure skating.
Lysacek announced Friday that he is entered at Skate America, his first competition since winning the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He says he wants to defend his title at the 2014 Sochi Games — something no man has done since Dick Button in 1952.
Lysacek has always left the door open for a comeback, and he was assigned to two Grand Prix competitions last year. But negotiations with U.S. Figure Skating hit a snag, and he wound up not competing.
Lysacek’s return is sure to be a boost for the Americans, who are down to just two spots at the world championships after having three from 2005 to 2011. No American has finished higher than fifth the past three years.
