Lysacek has surgery to fix torn abdominal muscle

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek still hopes to compete at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships after having surgery to repair a sports hernia.

Lysacek will be off the ice for about six weeks following Tuesday’s surgery in Los Angeles. Once he returns, he’ll be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. Nationals are nine weeks away, with the men’s short program on Jan. 25 in Omaha, Neb.

Lysacek has been struggling with a groin injury since this summer, and the injury forced him out of last month’s Skate America, which would have been his first competition since winning gold at the Vancouver Olympics. A recent exam found he’d actually torn an abdominal muscle.