Abbott wins U.S. figure skating title

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SPOKANE, Wash., Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Jeremy Abbott delivered the best free skating performance by far Sunday to win the men's singles title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Abbott backed up his outstanding effort in the short program with a freestyle routine that accumulated 175.81 points from the judges, giving him a total of 263.66 for his second consecutive U.S. crown.

Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir finished second and third and are expected to join Abbott on the U.S. Olympic team that will compete next month in Vancouver.

Lysacek scored 154.94 in the free program for a 238.63 total. Weir, a three-time national champion, was only fifth in the free skate but his strong showing in the short program earned him a third-place finish overall.