The 2008 World Figure Skating Championships in Sweden were as unpredictable as host city Gothenburg's weather; spring-like one day, with blizzard conditions the next.

Johnny Weir won a hard-fought bronze, preventing the U.S. team from being shut out of the medals for the first time since 1994. Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto's fall in the compulsory dance ended their chance for gold, but two top-six finishes, nevertheless, qualified three U.S. ice dance entries for the 2009 World Championships in Los Angeles.

While the results for the U.S. pairs and ladies weren't as strong, competitors in both events performed well enough to qualify two spots for 2009. Competition in these disciplines should be even stronger next season, when U.S. ladies champion Mirai Nagasu and pairs champions Keanua McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker, as well as the reigning and past World Junior champions Rachael Flatt and Caroline Zhang, are all age-eligible to challenge for the U.S. World Team.

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