The victory skate

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There’s not much better for a figure skater than to take a victory lap around the ice in his home country just after he’s won a world championship gold medal. By Evan Lysacek’s giant grin and wide-eyed glee, it was obvious he hasn’t had many better moments than this one Thursday night.

And how’s this for a teary moment? Another former American world champion, Brian Boitano, was part of the medal ceremony. It was hard to tell who was more excited, Boitano or Lysacek.

Does Lysacek now carry enormous pressure into the next season because he will be the Olympic favorite? Will he have to put a quadruple jump into his program? Will he be asked that a thousand times between now and February? Or even tomorrow? Aw, who cares now. Lysacek is high-fiving the lucky folks in the front row at Staples Center, kind of like a Kobe Bryant on skates.

-- Diane Pucin