Abbott-Mroz-Lysacek on figure skating podium

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CLEVELAND -- The best skater Sunday -- Brandon Mroz -- finished second, Evan Lysacek dropped from second to third with yet another uninspired performance, and Jeremy Abbott ended the Lysacek-Johnny Weir stranglehold on the U.S. men’s title before a much-less-than-full house at Quicken Loans Arena.

Abbott and Mroz both train in Colorado Springs with Coach Tom Zakrajsek, who also coaches women’s runner-up Rachael Flatt. So the biggest winner of all this week was Zakrajsek and the biggest loser was Weir, who was hoping to be selected to the world team despite a free skate Sunday that was as lifeless and flawed as his short program was Friday.

Abbott, skating last, reduced the difficulty of two jumps but still won the free skate to add to the lead he built after the short program. He finished with 241.89 points, to 229.70 for Mroz and 229.10 for Lysacek, who trains in El Segundo. Ryan Bradley was fourth at 229.40, with Weir fifth at 203.99.

Lysacek, the two-time defending champion, fell on what was supposed to be a quadruple toe loop jump, was off balance on the landing of his triple salchow and stepped out of a triple axel in the first part of a jump sequence. Mroz, an 18-year-old from St. Louis, appeared to touch his hand on his quadruple toe loop, although the judges saw it as clean, but was otherwise electrifying.

More later, including the announcement of the men’s delegation to the world championships in Los Angeles, and at latimes.com/sports.

-- Helene Elliott