Olympic Champion Lysacek Leads U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame Class of 2016 Cohen, Belbin & Agosto, Lussi to Be Inducted at 2016 Prudential U.S
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NEWS RELEASE 20 First Street – Colorado Springs, CO 80906 Phone: 719.635.5200 – Fax: 719.635.9548 Website: www.usfigureskating.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media contact: Barbara Reichert – 719.635.3466 Olympic champion Lysacek leads U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame Class of 2016 Cohen, Belbin & Agosto, Lussi to be inducted at 2016 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Saint Paul, Minnesota COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Dec. 15, 2015) – Olympic champion Evan Lysacek leads a U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame class loaded with Olympic medalists. Joining him in the Class of 2016 are 2006 Olympic silver medalists Sasha Cohen and ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto. Gustave F. Lussi, who coached four U.S. Olympic champions, enters the hall posthumously. Their inductions will be held Jan. 22 at the 2016 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Saint Paul, Minnesota. “The U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame Class of 2016 is among the most memorable in recent history,” said Larry Mondschein, the hall’s nominating committee chair. “Evan Lysacek demonstrated an exceptional level of skill, effortless movements and pure determination. Sasha Cohen expressed sheer artistry, beauty and movement in her skating. Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto epitomized extraordinary elegance, musicality and unison. And Gustave Lussi transformed figure skating like no other coach in the history of the sport.” Lysacek captured the gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver to become the first American men’s champion since Brian Boitano (1988). Lysacek won 11 major titles, including a World championship (2009), two U.S. championships (2007, ’08), the Grand Prix Final (2009), and two Four Continents Championships (2005, ’07), making him the most-decorated American male skater of the past two decades. He also placed fourth at the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy. Upon his induction, Lysacek will join his coach, Frank Carroll, and choreographer, Lori Nichol, in the U.S. Hall of Fame. Cohen, known for her spirals and strong character portrayals on the ice, earned the silver medal at the 2006 Olympics. She is a three-time World medalist (silver 2004, ’05; bronze ’06), 2002 Grand Prix Final champion and 2006 U.S. champion. Entering the 2015-16 season, Cohen still held top-five scores competed by ladies in the U.S. in the short program (69.63, 2010 U.S. Championships) and free skate (134.03, 2006 U.S. Championships). She is the last American lady to earn an Olympic medal. Belbin and Agosto helped pave the way for the current success of American ice dancers, raising technical standards while becoming fixtures on international podiums. They earned the silver medal at the 2006 Olympics, are four-time World medalists (silver 2004, ’09; bronze 2006, ’07), three-time Grand Prix Final medalists and the winners of five-consecutive U.S. titles. From 2005 until the 2010 Olympics, the team of Belbin and Agosto medaled at 26 of 27 events. Lussi’s contribution to the sport is best exemplified by his most noted student, Dick Button. The only U.S. figure skater to win two Olympic championships (1948, ’52), Button was Lussi’s student his entire amateur career. In his seven senior seasons, Button won two Olympic gold medals, five World titles, three North American crowns and the European Championships. Together, Lussi and Button transformed the sport by accentuating athleticism and developing elements such as the double Axel, the flying camel and the first triple jump (the triple loop, performed at the 1952 Olympics). Lussi went on to coach U.S. Olympic champions Hayes Jenkins, David Jenkins and Dorothy Hamill at various stages of their careers. The U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the sport of figure skating in the United States. – U.S. Figure Skating – U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union. U.S. Figure Skating is comprised of more than 690 member clubs, collegiate clubs, school-affiliated clubs and more than 950 registered Basic Skills skating schools representing more than 178,000 members. U.S. Figure Skating is charged with the development of the sport on all levels within the United States including athletes, officials, sanctioning of events and exhibitions, and establishing the rules and guidelines by which the sport is governed. .