When the men’s competition opens at the World Championships, March 22-29 in Los Angeles, two American men are expected to be near the top of the standings. Jeremy Abbott is the Grand Prix Final Champion while Evan Lysacek is the two-time World Championship medalist hoping to save a disappointing season.

U.S. champion Alissa Czisny and two-time silver medalist Rachael Flatt head into the World Championships, March 22-29, with a lofty goal in mind. They want to skate well enough to secure three spots for American ladies at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.

No American pairs team has won a medal at the World Championships since Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman took the bronze medal in 2002. Two-time U.S. champions Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker hope to end that drought when the World Championships come McLaughlin’s hometown March 22-29.

The 2009 ISU World Figure Skating Championships will take place next week in Los Angeles, Calif., where the world’s best figure skaters will vie for four World titles: ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dancing. Fifteen top U.S. skaters will be among them, including U.S. Champions Jeremy Abbott and Alissa Czisny and two-time U.S. Champions Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker.

U.S. Figure Skating announced its international selections for ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dancing events at the Four Continents Championships, the World Junior Championships and the World Championships following the conclusion of the U.S. Championships in Cleveland.