Lysacek falls short to Plushenko in short program

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Evgeni Plushenko of Russia won the men's short program at the Vancouver Olympics on Tuesday, the first step toward defending his title.

Plushenko's 90.85 points beat world champion Evan Lysacek of the United States by .55, with Daisuke Takahashi of Japan .60 behind the leader heading into the free skate.

The breakaway sets up a compelling free skate on Thursday night. The margins between the three skaters are so small they may as well be tied.

This men's competition has been widely anticipated, with a field stocked with enough talent to carry two Olympics. There are four world champions including Plushenko, who came out of retirement to try and become the first man to win back-to-back gold medals since Dick Button in 1952.

He set the tone with a majestic program almost worthy of beating his world record from last month's European championships. While Turin silver medalist Stephane Lambiel and former world champion Brian Joubert of France weren't up to the challenge, Lysacek and Takahashi made it clear they're not about to hand over that second gold to Plushenko.

"Easy? That's competition and it is never going to be easy," Plushenko said. "If somebody says today, 'I am not nervous' or 'I skate easy,' or 'I am not tired,' I don't believe him."

Plushenko capped one of the most dominant stretches in the sport with the gold medal at the Turin Olympics. With bad knees and nothing more to win, the Russian retired. But his new wife urged him to return and, at 27, he could be better than ever.

As he took the ice, longtime coach Alexei Mishin pumped his fist, as if to tell his star pupil, "Strength!"

Not that Plushenko needed any reminders.

"This is the symbol of every strong man," Mishin said. "He was strong."

Plushenko's jumps were impressive as always. His quadruple toe loop-triple toe combination was huge and done with more ease than some skaters can manage in a single. His triple axel was done with perfect control, so much so that he showed off a little, changing his edge back and forth to produce a sassy swerve -- right in time to the music, no less.

While his spins still aren't in the same category as Lambiel's, they were much improved from four years ago. His combination spin was perfectly centered and done so fast he's lucky the gold charms on his necklace didn't go flying into the crowd.

But the best part of his program remains his showmanship. Nobody loves the limelight quite like Plushenko, and he reveled in it Tuesday night, looking deep into every camera he passed. His seductive body language and bedroom eyes matched his passionate "Concierto de Aranjuez" perfectly, and he even flirted with the judges a bit.

"I did a clean program and that's important to me," Plushenko said. "This is my third Olympic Games and I skated not bad. I'll take any result in the Olympic Games."

When Plushenko finished, he drew an imaginary sword, kissed it and then put it back in its sheath. In case the crowd -- and maybe his competitors, too -- didn't get the message, he did it twice more before leaving the ice.

This fight isn't over yet, though.

As the reigning world champion, Lysacek is the United States' best hope for a gold medal since Brian Boitano won the famous "Battle of the Brians" at the Calgary Games in 1988. His jumps were done with silky smoothness, his landings secure. He was pumping his fists before he even began his final spin. When his music finished, he threw back his head, then dropped to his knees, sliding across the ice as he buried his head in his hands.

Takahashi's program was completely different, but no less compelling. It was high-octane from the second he stepped on the ice, so jam-packed there was barely room to breathe, let alone rest -- for him or the fans. His footwork and spins were innovative, proving there is room for creativity in the current judging system.

Had he included a quad in the program -- he's more than capable of doing them, and will likely have one in the free skate -- Takahashi could have been ahead of Plushenko and Lysacek. His component mark -- the old artistic score -- was more than a point and a half better than Plushenko.

Lambiel is in fifth after only doing a double axel and botching his quad. But even with this tough field, the two-time world champion can't be counted out of the medals hunt. He won the silver medal at the European championships after being fifth in the short program.

"Yes, a gold medal is possible. Nothing is impossible," Lambiel said. "I know my skating and I know myself."

Just 19, Patrick Chan is Canada's latest hope to -- finally -- win a gold medal in men's figure skating. But he cost himself by stepping out of the landing of his triple axel, slipping during one section of footwork -- though he covered it up nicely -- and then taking a deduction for finishing after his music.

Disappointment was etched across his face and he took a seat in Kiss and Cry without doing the round of hugs that have become the aftershow.

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