Kimmie Meissner holds the title. Now Evan Lysacek has a quad. The two Americans could pull off a double win at the World Figure Skating Championships that begin Tuesday in Tokyo.
But there also could be a Japanese duo winning. Mao Asada and Daisuke Takahashi have put up record scores in events in Japan this season, and are sure to be helped by the local crowd.
"There will be some pressure on me because I am the reigning world champion, but also a lot of it will be on the Japanese girls. When you're in your home country, you want to skate well," Meissner said. "There will be a lot of attention on them."