Johnny Weir walks in controversy. Drama is his best friend. He's never boring, rather refreshing and sometimes oddly sensible. And sometimes not.
But this season, Weir, the current U.S. figure-skating men's silver medalist, has charted a course to the top, reversing a trend of theatrical statements and disappointments and a habit of going up in flames in mid-competition.
He's winning, skating as well as he ever has, and is not afraid to say he can see himself as the world champion by the time that event ends March 23 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
"What's the point of going to the competition if you don't think you can win it?" he said bluntly yesterday during a conference call.
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Weir finished eighth at the world championships last year in Tokyo. His best effort at worlds was a fourth during the 2004-05 season. He's a three-time U.S. national champion, but he couldn't score the past two years.
But this season, he's a different animal, focused and consistent, with new coach Galina Zmievskaya, who guided the mercurial Oksana Baiul to a gold medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.
Weir scored epic wins at the Cup of China and Cup of Russia, defeating two-time world champion Stéphane Lambiel of Switzerland both times. Weir was magnificent at the U.S. nationals last month, but finished second to archrival Evan Lysacek.
Incredibly, the two of them finished in a tie - earning the same score to the hundredth of a point - but Lysacek was given the win because he'd won the free-skate program.
It's no secret the two skaters aren't best pals, nor are they at all alike. Lysacek is the thundering technician, Weir the soft-kneed artist.
At the Cup of China, Weir defeated Lysacek, who finished second. At the Grand Prix Final last December, Lysacek defeated Weir.
"I've already been told there are certain networks in the United States that want Evan and I to skate at every competition together, just to make some kind of TV ratings and to make interest in figure skating again," Weir said yesterday.
There are positives to having a rivalry going. Lysacek pushes Weir to be better, he says. Yet he knows Lysacek isn't the only male skater in the world.
"Sometimes, I am upset that I have to be double-billed, just because Evan and I are at the same level and competing for the same country," Weir said. "There are so many similarities between the two of us as far as the sport goes, but so many differences as far as the personalities go.
"I was Johnny Weir long before I knew who Evan Lysacek was, and I will be Johnny Weir long after we've done our competition careers. ... I am a single skater. I don't skate on a team. And I'm Johnny Weir, not the second half of the double-billing for the U.S. men's team."
That being said, it doesn't sound as if Weir endured much angst at losing to Lysacek in such unusual circumstances last month.
"I may not love the new scoring system and I may not love judging in particular, but I do compete under the same rules as everyone else and I still abide by the rules and abide by the fact that once the result is posted, that's the result," he said.
But he can happily say he doesn't know whether he actually deserved to be the U.S. national champion or not. He didn't see Lysacek skate and has heard all the rumblings about controversial scoring methods through the media.
"But I'm the U.S. silver medalist and there's nothing wrong with that," Weir said. "I skated two strong performances that I'm very proud of and, as far as I'm concerned, I'm happy and I will definitely not claim to be smarter than a computer."
He says Japanese skater Daisuke Takahashi, the 2007 world silver medalist, is the favourite this time out, even though Lambiel defeated him at the Grand Prix Final.
But in the next year or two, there may be a new - or old - challenge. There are reports from Russia that 2006 Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko is making a comeback after two years off and has set his sights on the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Weir doesn't think it will be all that easy for the Russian star to pick up where he left off. The men at the top now are very strong, the American said.
After watching a satellite performance of Plushenko at the Russian nationals this year, Weir concludes he is not of the standard he was during the 2006 Turin Olympic season.
"But he can get into shape very quickly, and I know that won't be the hard part for him," he said.
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