VANCOUVER—During the final notes of Firebird, Evan Lysacek of Naperville began to celebrate before it was over. After skating his best when it counted the most, he threw his arms in the air, then knelt on the ice, overcome by emotion.

As his eyes filled with tears, he waited for his score. His 90.30 put him just .55 behind Russia's Evgeni Plushenko after Tuesday's Olympic short program. Lysacek is in contention for the U.S.'s first gold medal in 22 years heading into Thursday's free skate. Japan's Daisuke Takahashi was third with 90.25 points.

The men's event, expected to be one of the most compelling of these Games, didn't disappoint. With a deep field featuring four world champions, the night began with Plushenko's fireworks and entertained throughout.

The few disappointments: reigning U.S. champ Jeremy Abbott crumbled and stumbled, finishing 15th. Canada's medal hope Patrick Chan was behind on his music and finished seventh. France's Brian Joubert, a former world champ, was 18th.

Lysacek said he entered the Olympics feeling the pressure as the reigning world champ. Also his error-filled performance in the short program at the 2006 Torino Games weighed heavily on him. "That short program was one of my worst. So now to have one of my best feels pretty good," he said afterward in a calm and confident manner.

"For me, I'm really well prepared. I've never been so ready for anything in my life. I skated really good and I'm happy. You can't ask for much more.

"I'm going to just try to forget about tonight as quickly as I can. We haven't done anything yet. It just basically sets us up for the main event."

Abbott would like to forget Tuesday for much different reasons. Two costly mistakes shattered his medal hopes.

"I love that program. I was trying to enjoy the experience (after the mistakes). I was trying to take it all in and have fun and enjoy the music," Abbott said. "At the same time I was just heartbroken and so I finished the program with my head spinning. I'm happy and I'm sad and I'm extremely angry and frustrated."

The U.S.'s Johnny Weir stands sixth and in striking distance of the podium after an engaging performance. "It's going to be a cat fight and I'm happy to be a part of it," Weir said.

Wearing a black corset top with hot pink accents, Weir vamped as only he can in the second part of his program. As he neared the boards, he threw back his head in dramatic fashion and then gave a few fans in the front row a lady killer look.

When he blew a kiss as he finished, the crowd roared. Then they booed lustily as his score of 82.10 was announced. "Results and scores I can't control," he said after receiving a two-point deduction on his triple flip. "I tried to do the best I could, and I hoped the audience would boo because I hoped that they would think I deserved 100, no matter what."

Plushenko, too, was a crowd favorite. When he finished his short program, he raised an imaginary sword to the rafters, kissed it and then, with great flourish, plunged it back into its sheath.

Of course, theatrics and Plushenko go together like skates and ice, but this bit of showmanship had meaning. "It's because the fierce fight is finished," he said. "I fight with myself today and I did very good. Of course I'm happy."

He had ample reason to be pleased. Plushenko hopes to be the first man to win back-to-back Olympic titles since Dick Button did 58 years ago.

Plushenko's Excaliber is his quad. He began his program with a quad toeloop triple toeloop jump, which racked up a hefty14.8 points. Takahashi and Lysacek did not do quads in their short. The most intriguing storyline on Thursday will revolve around the four-rotation jump. Will the high-risk, high-reward jump keep Plushenko in the lead? Plushenko will attempt the quad with abandon; Lysacek, with a sore left foot, said he will probably not. Under the points-based scoring system, skaters have shown that they don't need a quad to win a title. The last two world champions, including Lysacek, won gold without attempting a quad in either program. But Plushenko did not compete in either of those Worlds.

The 2006 Olympic gold medalist, Plushenko has long been known as a magnificent jumper. His transitions between elements, footwork and the interpretation of the music have suffered as a result. Advantage: Lysacek.

"I don't care today about the transitions or the scoring system," Plushenko said. "All I care about is that I skate today my clean program. I'm going to take any result in the Olympic Games, any result. Fifth, fourth, third, second. Of course, I'm going to try my best."

But Plushenko was being coy. After retiring after the 2006 Games, he announced his return last spring with gold in mind. Thursday, he gets that chance, with Lysacek close behind.