Jeremy Abbott

Jeremy Abbott
Jeremy Abbott
Born	June 5, 1985 (age 41); Aspen, Colorado, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Figure skater (retired), coach, choreographer
Years active	1995–2017 (competitive career)
Known for	2008 Grand Prix Final champion; four-time U.S. national champion; 2014 Olympic team bronze medalist

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Jeremy Abbott, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 1 December 202525 sources

Jeremy Abbott (born June 5, 1985) is a retired American figure skater. He claimed the title at the 2008 Grand Prix Final, earned bronze medals twice at the Four Continents Championships (2007 and 2011), and secured the U.S. national championship four times (2009, 2010, 2012, and 2014). Abbott represented the United States at two Winter Olympics: finishing ninth in 2010 and contributing to a bronze medal in the team event in 2014.

Personal life

Jeremy Abbott was born in Aspen, Colorado, to parents Allison and Danny Abbott. He has an older sister, Gwen Abbott, who competed as a nationally ranked downhill ski racer and participated three times in Winter X Games skier cross events. To manage both his academic studies and skating commitments, he attended Cheyenne Mountain High School over five years, graduating in 2004.

In January 2015, his father Danny passed away due to complications associated with Parkinson's Disease.

Abbott acknowledges that his family—including his mother Allison Scott, stepfather Allen Scott, late father Danny Abbott, and sister Gwen—played a vital role in his achievements. After capturing the junior title at the 2005 U.S. Championships, he established a fund in Aspen aimed at assisting promising skaters with training expenses. A year later, in 2006, he created an additional fund to support skaters from the surrounding areas.

In June 2020, Abbott publicly announced that he is gay.

Early years

Abbott began skating when he was just two years old and started competing by age four, drawing inspiration from Robin Cousins. Early in his career, he participated in ice dance with partners Amanda Cunningham (1995–96) and Katie Hoffmaster (1997–98), as well as pairs with Brittany Vise (1998–99) and Krystal Sorenson (2001–02).

Originally coached by Peggy Behr in Aspen, Abbott relocated to Colorado Springs in 1999 to train under Tom Zakrajsek at the Colorado Springs World Arena while representing the Broadmoor Skating Club.

He began competing as a singles skater at the novice level during the 2000–01 season but did not advance beyond sectionals. The following year, he placed sixth at novice Nationals. Abbott competed nationally at the junior level between 2002–03 and 2004–05 seasons; although he missed the 2003 U.S. Championships due to injury—an L5 vertebra fracture—he returned to place seventh at the 2004 U.S. Championships.

Abbott secured the Junior national championship at the 2005 U.S. Championships. After jokingly stating "Stranger things could happen; pigs could fly!" he adopted a winged pig as his mascot and named his charitable fund after it—supporting young male skaters with coaching fees, ice time, and competition costs.

2005–08

During the 2005–06 Olympic season, Abbott’s initial senior international event was the Nebelhorn Trophy where he finished eighteenth. Despite placing fifth at Midwestern Sectionals, he did not qualify for the 2006 U.S. Championships or Olympic team selection—a shortfall he later attributed to inadequate training following his junior title success.

The subsequent season (2006–07) brought improvements: Abbott won the Finlandia Trophy, triumphed at sectionals, and earned the pewter medal at the 2007 U.S. Championships—the highest placement for a senior men's debut in two decades. Although initially named first alternate for both World and Four Continents teams, he competed at the 2007 Four Continents after Johnny Weir withdrew and claimed bronze at his home venue, World Arena, Colorado Springs.

In the 2007–08 season, Abbott made his Grand Prix debut with an eighth-place finish at 2007 Skate Canada International and fourth place at 2007 NHK Trophy. He repeated as pewter medalist at the 2008 U.S. Championships and finished fifth at that year’s Four Continents Championships. After Evan Lysacek withdrew due to injury, Abbott competed at the 2008 World Championships where he placed eleventh.

2008–09

During the 2008–09 season, Abbott made significant strides on the Grand Prix circuit by capturing the title at the 2008 Cup of China and finishing fourth at the 2008 Cup of Russia, which earned him a spot in the Grand Prix Final. He triumphed at the Final, becoming the first American male skater to achieve this feat, and recorded the highest free skate score ever by an American at that time. At the 2009 U.S. Championships, Abbott dominated both segments to secure the gold medal. He concluded the season with an eleventh-place overall finish at the World Championships. Following the competitive season, Abbott made his debut in an international ice show by performing at South Korea's Festa On Ice.

In May 2009, Abbott transitioned to coaching under Yuka Sato in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

2009–10 season

Abbott opened the 2009–10 season with a fifth-place result at the 2009 NHK Trophy before claiming victory at the 2009 Skate Canada, which qualified him once again for the Grand Prix Final where he placed fourth overall.

At the 2010 U.S. Championships, Abbott won both segments decisively, finishing 25 points ahead of silver medalist Evan Lysacek. He earned selection to represent the United States at the Winter Olympic Games. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Abbott ranked fifteenth in the short program and ninth overall after delivering a free skate score of 149.56 points. At that year's World Championships, he placed sixth in the short program but dropped to fifth overall following two falls during his free skate. During the off-season, Abbott participated in the Stars on Ice tour.

2010–11 season

Abbott continued training with Sato throughout the 2010–11 season. He incorporated weekly sessions with a sports psychologist and struggled with boot issues early on, cycling through eight pairs before resolving these problems later in the year.

At the 2011 U.S. Championships, Abbott was second after the short program but ultimately finished fourth overall by a margin of just 0.19 points, earning his third pewter medal. Despite this strong performance, he was not selected for the World Championships team, a decision that disappointed him due to what he viewed as inconsistent selection criteria. Instead, he was named to compete at the Four Continents Championships, where he secured a bronze medal.

2011–12 season

During the 2011–12 Grand Prix season, Abbott competed at both the 2011 Cup of China and 2011 Cup of Russia, events he had not originally requested but where he found success. He won gold at the Cup of China and earned bronze at the Cup of Russia, achieving a personal best short program score of 83.54 points. These results qualified him for his third appearance at the 2011–2012 Grand Prix Final.

At the 2012 U.S. Championships, Abbott captured his third national title by winning both programs. However, he withdrew from the 2012 Four Continents Championships due to back spasms and concluded his season with an eighth-place finish at the 2012 World Championships.

2012–13 season

Despite contending with a compressed disc and nerve complications in his lower back at the beginning of the season, Abbott secured fifth place at the 2012 Skate America. His health showed progress by the following competition, where he captured the silver medal at the 2012 Trophée Éric Bompard. He went on to claim the bronze at the 2013 U.S. Championships.

2013–14 season

Abbott declared that the 2013–14 season would mark his final competitive year. He achieved sixth place at the 2013 Skate Canada International and earned a bronze medal at the 2013 NHK Trophy. At the 2014 U.S. Championships, he topped the short program and placed second in the free skate, resulting in an overall victory and securing his position on the U.S. squad for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where he contributed to winning a team bronze medal. He wrapped up the season with a fifth-place finish at the 2014 World Championships.

2014–15 season

Selected for both 2014 Skate America and 2014 NHK Trophy, Abbott finished fifth in each event. Shortly before competing in the 2015 U.S. Championships, he experienced the loss of his father; nevertheless, he participated and placed fifth, dedicating his exhibition performance to his late father.

2015–16 season and after

At the outset of the 2015–16 season, Abbott announced a hiatus from competition without officially retiring. In October 2015, he took part in the 2015 Japan Open, a team competition held in Japan. In January 2016, he secured gold at the 2016 Medal Winners Open, an ISU-endorsed pro-am event also hosted in Japan.

During the 2016–17 season, Abbott once again competed in the 2016 Japan Open. By season’s end, he publicly declared his retirement from competitive figure skating.

Coaching and choreographer career

Following his retirement from competition, Abbott shifted focus to coaching and choreography. He has crafted programs for former two-time U.S. champion Gracie Gold and serves as coach to two-time U.S. champion Alysa Liu as well as Dinh Tran.

2015–16 to present

Season	Free skate	Exhibition
2015–16	Bring Him Home (from Les Misérables) by Claude-Michel Schönberg	Bridge over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel choreographed by Jeffrey Buttle
		Peanut Butter Jelly performed by Galantis choreography by Benji Schwimmer
		The Fear by Ben Howard
	Adagio for Strings composed by Samuel Barber choreographed by Sandra Bezic	Crystal Ball by Styx
		How Will I Know covered by Sam Smith
2016–17	Old Pine by Ben Howard choreography by Jeremy Abbott	In This Shirt by The Irrepressibles choreographed by Benoît Richaud
		Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 by Muse choreographed by Jeremy Abbott & Yuka Sato
		Land of All by Woodkid choreographed by Benoît Richaud
		The Christmas Song written by Robert Wells & Mel Tormé
		It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year composed by Edward Pola & George Wyle
		Beautiful by Ben Rector
		This Is It performed by Kenny Loggins & Michael McDonald
2017–18	My Way written by Claude François, Jacques Revaux & Paul Anka performed by Frank Sinatra choreographed by Benoît Richaud	Land of All
		This by Darius Rucker
		Hard Habit to Break composed by Steve Kipner & John Lewis Parker performed by Peter Cetera
		In This Shirt by The Irrepressibles choreographed by Benoît Richaud
2018–19		Pure Imagination written by Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley performed by Jamie Cullum
2018–19		Weathered performed by Jack Garratt

2004–05 to 2014–15

Season	Short program	Free skate	Exhibition	Ref.
2004–05	Concierto de Aranjuez Composed by Joaquín Rodrigo Choreography by Damon Allen	Selections by Safri Duo Choreographed by Damon Allen & Jeremy Abbott	rowspan="3" Template:NA	^[1]
2005–06	I'm A-Doun Performed by Vanessa-Mae Choreography by Christopher Dean
2005–06		Selections by William Joseph Choreographed by Damon Allen
2006–07	Dead Already From American Beauty Composed by Thomas Newman Choreography by Damon Allen & Jeremy Abbott	Symphony No. 25 in G minor By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Praeludium and Allegro Composed by Fritz Kreisler Choreography by Tom Dickson	Save the Last Dance for Me Performed by Michael Bublé Choreography by Damon Allen & Jeremy Abbott	^[2]
2007–08	Treat Performed by Carlos Santana Choreography by Kurt Browning	Ghost Waltz From Mistletoe Bride Composed by Paul Chihara Waltz No. 2 From Suite for Variety Orchestra By Dmitri Shostakovich River Waltz From The Painted Veil Masquerade Waltz Composed by Aram Khachaturian Choreography by Tom Dickson	Faith Performed by George Michael Choreography by Damon Allen, Caroline Miller & Jeremy Abbott	^[3]^[4]
2008–09	Adagio in G minor Composed by Tomaso Albinoni Choreographed by Catarina Lindgren	Eight Seasons By Astor Piazzolla Performed by Gidon Kremer & Kremerata Baltica Choreography by Tom Dickson		^[5]
2008–09			Treat	^[5]
2009–10	A Day in the Life Performed by Jeff Beck Choreography by Shae-Lynn Bourne	Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony) Composed by Camille Saint-Saëns Choreographed by Pasquale Camerlengo Jupiter From The Planets By Gustav Holst Pines of Rome By Ottorino Respighi Choreography by Tom Dickson	Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony)	^[6]^[7]^[8]
			At This Moment Performed by Michael Bublé Choreography by Yuka Sato
			Gotta Get thru This Performed by Daniel Bedingfield Choreography by Tom Dickson
2010–11	Viejos Aires By Ensemble Nuevo Tango Choreographed by Antonio Najarro & Yuka Sato	Life Is Beautiful Composed by Nicola Piovani Choreographed by David Wilson	Hometown Glory Performed by Adele Choreographed by Yuka Sato, Massimo Scali & Jeremy Abbott	^[9]^[10]
			Rhythm of Love Performed by The Plain White T's Choreographed by Jeremy Abbott
			At This Moment
2011–12	Sing, Sing, Sing From the soundtrack of Swing Kids Bei Mir Bistu Shein Choreographed by brothers Buddy and Benji Schwimmer	Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 Performed by Muse Choreographed jointly by Jeremy Abbott & Yuka Sato	Hometown Glory	^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15]^[16]
			I Won't Give Up Performed by Jason Mraz
			Sing, Sing, Sing
2012–13	Spy Composed by Nathan Lanier Choreographed by Benji Schwimmer	Bring Him Home 'From the musical Les Misérables, composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg, arranged Steven Jamail Choreographed jointly Jeremy Abbott & Yuka Sato'	Home 'Performed Phillip Phillips'	^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20]
2012–13			I Won't Give Up	^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20]
2013–14	Lilies of the Valley 'Taken from the film Pina, composed Jun Miyake Choreographed Robin Cousins'	Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 'Performed Muse with additional contributions from Micah Burgess Co-choreographed Jeremy Abbott & Yuka Sato'	Latch 'Performed Disclosure featuring Sam Smith'	^[21]^[22]^[23]^[14]^[24]^[25]

Senior Category

{{Figure skating detailed results |season=2007–08|ref= |Nov 1–4, 2007| 2007 Skate Canada International|8|50.86|5|99.20|5|150.06 |Nov 29–30, 2007| 2007 NHK Trophy|12|58.27|4|129.49|4|187.56 |Jan 20–27, 2008| 2009 U.S. Championships|5|73.28|4|148.57|4|221.85 |Feb 13–17, 2008| 2008 Four Continents Championships|9|60.87|4|145.53|5|206.40 |}

{{Figure skating detailed results season=2010–11 ref= Oct 22–24, 2010 2010 NHK Trophy 2 74.62 3 143.57 2 218.19

   Nov 19–21, 2012		 2010 Cup of Russia	2	77.61	4	139.60	3	217.21	
   Jan 22–30, 2011		  2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships 	2	78.39	6	145.77	4	224.16	pewter3=yes	
   Feb 15–20, 2011		  2011 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 	2	76.73	4	148.98	3	225.71	small4=yes