By Philip Hersh
Naperville's Evan Lysacek improved his personal best by more than five points to finish a close second in Friday's short program of the Grand Prix Final in Tokyo.
Lysacek, the reigning world champion, scored 89.85, leaving him one-tenth of a point behind Daisuke Takahashi of Japan. His previous best was 84.06 in 2008.
Takahashi (89.95) and Lysacek, who had just one minor bobble, on a
death drop, now have the second and third highest scores in history,
trailing only the 90.66 by Russia's Evgeny Plushenko in winning the
2006 Olympics.
Johnny Weir of the U.S. was
fourth at 84.60, his personal best by more than three points. Reigning
U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott fell on a triple lutz and was a distant
fifth.
Ashley Wagner of the U.S. was last of
the six women in the short program, won by Japan's Miki Ando -- the
2007 world champion -- after reigning world champion Yuna Kim of South
Korea was undone by her nemesis jump, the triple flip. Kim trails Ando
by just .56.
The free skates are Saturday.
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