Speculations on the Eve of Men's Figure Skating Competition

U.S. figure skater Johnny Weir  feels agitated in Vancouver, but it's not only because he's worried about winning an Olympic medal.

Photo: Speculations on the Eve of Men's Figure Skating Competition

Weir tells reporters he's received multiple threats from anti-fur activists over a recent costume that included white fox fur on the shoulder: "I felt very threatened... all these crazy fur people." The skater says for security reasons he feels safer staying in the Olympic village because, "I didn't want to get hurt."

As for the figure skating Johnny Weir shares the opinion of experts and amateurs of skating that it could be the most compelling event of the Vancouver Olympics.  The men's competition begins Tuesday with the short program. The free skate is Thursday.

"Every single medal contender can either be first or 15th," the USA's Johnny Weir says.

Leading the field is the skater Weir calls the sport's "rock star," Russian Evgeni Plushenko, trying to become the first man to repeat as Olympic champ since Dick Button 58 years ago.

Plushenko retired after the 2006 Games, then announced his return last spring and has since dominated every competition he's entered. Also making a comeback is Switzerland's Stephane Lambiel, a two-time world champion, after taking a year off because of injury. Rounding out the field of world champs is France's Brian Joubert. U.S. champ Jeremy Abbott and three-time U.S. champ Weir, Canada's Patrick Chan and Japan's Daisuke Takahashi and Nobunari Oda hope to knock those world-beaters off the podium.

USA Today  has contributed to the report.