WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Reigning Winter Olympic men's champion Evan Lysacek will not make his return on ice at this weekend's Skate America as he skipped the whole season of 2011-2012 ISU Grand Prix events.
The Oct. 19-21 event was to have been Lysacek's first competition since capturing figure skating gold at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, but a nagging groin injury will keep him from it.
Four reigning United States champions, however, will star in the season opener, namely the 2012 U.S. men's champion Jeremy Abbott, women's champion Ashley Wagner, pairs champions Caydee Denney and John Coughlin, as well as ice dance champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White, the silver medalists at the 2010 Olympics and the 2011 world champions.
Also slated to compete are China's Pang Qing and Tong Jian, the pairs silver medalists at the Vancouver Games, and this year's women's runner-up Alena Leonova of Russia.