Jeremy Abbott
Figure Skating - Singles
2010 Olympic hopeful
Personal Specs
Height: 5'9"
Short List Performance
- 2009 U.S. champion
- 2008 Grand Prix Final gold medalist
- 2007 Four Continents bronze medalist
- 11th place at 2008 and 2009 World Championships
- Fourth place at 2007 and 2008 U.S. Championships
- 2005 U.S. Junior champion
- Ranked No. 7 in the ISU World Standings as of May 2009
Vancouver Watch
Abbott pre-empted the "Evan and Johnny Show" at the 2009 U.S. Championships, becoming the first figure skater not named Evan or Johnny to take the title since 2003. That big-stage win combined with his Grand Prix Final gold could propel Abbott to great feats in Vancouver. The 23-year-old is no longer under the radar, but his two 11th-place showings at the World Championships leave much more work to do. How he handles the pressure that comes with the Olympic Winter Games could determine how he performs.
Personal
Abbott began skating at age 4, inspired by watching British 1980 Olympic men's gold medalist Robin Cousins skate in a show in Aspen, Colo. He moved on to the U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills Program, competing in ice dancing and pairs. A fractured vertebra sidelined him for 15 weeks in 2003. In 2005, Abbott compared his chances of winning the junior national championship to the likelihood of pigs flying. Of course, he ended up winning the title. Family and friends subsequently started the "Pigs Can Fly" Web site and fan club. Abbott started the Jeremy Abbott Training Fund with the Aspen Skating Club, his first club, to support competitive local male figure skaters. Abbott loves music but "cannot play an instrument to save my life." His other hobbies include drawing, writing, snowboarding and reading. His older sister, Gwen, was a downhill skier who competed in the X Games.
Did You Know...?
- Has a tattoo
- Born one day after Evan Lysacek