(Thumbnail Image:  The New York Times)

Many believed Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko would go home with the gold, but American Evan Lysacek won for his artistic performance.  The win is creating more controversy around the judging system.

We’re looking at perspectives from ABC News, NBC News, Christian Science Monitor, The New York Daily News and Yahoo Sports.

Lysacek's win marks the first American male figure skating win since 1988, but it didn’t come without controversy.  ABC’s Good Morning America reports the win was not necessarily expected.

“The Olympic showdown dubbed the cold war on ice is now the upset on ice. American Evan Lysacek delivered a virtually flawless performance to win the men’s figure skating gold medal and beat defending champ Evgeni Plushenko from Russia”

The win has highlighted the two skaters' choices of routines, especially for Plushenko who included a difficult quad jump – something Lysacek didn’t do.  The New York Daily News reports the Russian skater argued that jump is vital.

“For the past few weeks, Plushenko and the Russians had been telling people that skaters who didn’t regularly perform quad jumps – i.e Lysacek – were dragging the sport back into the past and didn’t deserve to be champions.”

Despite objections from the Russian team, NBC’s The Today Show says Lysacek's flawless performance was perfect without the difficult jump.

“You know there was so much talk about the quad and that you needed a quad in order to get the gold. He didn’t need a quad, he never performed one and he did it without it...He skated first in the final group, which is always a scary place to skate. He wowed the judges with an artistic routine that brought the crowd to its feet.”

Much of this controversy stems from the new judging system.  The Christian Science Monitor says the new system focuses more heavily on jumps and tricks.

“The new system…emphasizes the athleticism of figure skating over artistic impressions…While superior artistry may be the tie-breaker between two skaters with comparable technical elements, it won’t compensate for a lack of difficulty in the routine.”

Yahoo Sports brings the perspective of Plushenko’s coach, who says Lysacek’s routine wasn’t technical enough to win gold.

“…this is not right.  We will investigate.  Someone need[s] to explain to me how this is possible….”

So did Lysacek deserve the gold?  Or should the quad jump be the standard for figure skating champions?
 

Writer: Amanda Klohmann

Producer: Newsy Staff