At 28, Abbott Wins 4th U.S. Figure Skating Title BOSTON - Jeremy Abbott said he knew his last United States Figure Skating Championships would end in tears, regardless of how his axels, spins and footwork played out on the ice. Abbott would cry with joy if he nabbed his fourth national title, and a spot representing the United States in the men's singles competition at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and would cry with disappointment if the inconsistency that had plagued him emerged again. But as Abbott's free skate ended here Sunday afternoon, those in the audience rose to their feet. He finished in first place with a total score of 274.27 points and proved, as he said Friday, "you can teach an old dog new tricks." Abbott's weekend signified a comeback some were not necessarily expecting. He finished in ninth at the 2010 Games in Vancouver, the gold medal going to an American teammate, Evan Lysacek, who will not compete in Sochi because of injuries. "I feel shockingly calm," Abbott said of securing his Olympic berth. Abbott, 28, now has a chance to become one of the oldest men in recent memory to make the podium at a Games. Evgeni Plushenko of Russia was 27 when he won silver in 2010 and may compete in Sochi. The second-place finisher Sunday, Jason Brown, who will join Abbott on the Olympic team, is 19. "I'm just a small-town boy, and I never thought that I would be here," said Abbott, who entered Sunday's free skate leading by a wide margin. Last week, Abbott said he had experienced a string of nightmares about poor performances, and he broke into tears during a practice session Wednesday. He has said this will be his last appearance at the national championships. "I've been skating since I could walk, and I love this sport more than I can say," he said. And I've really given my mind, my body, my blood, sweat and tears and everything I have for it. Abbott is a lively presence on Twitter and Instagram, a self-proclaimed goofball who chronicles the fun and often bizarre moments of his training life, like his failed Words With Friends plays and his use of nutrition bars as mustaches. Abbott experienced some backlash on social media for comments he made to The Denver Post about a Russian law that bans distribution of gay "propaganda" to youths, which will probably continue to be a source of conversation in the weeks ahead. However, coaches and athletes said the key for Abbott and his teammates bound for Sochi would be tuning out life outside the training bubble for the next few weeks. Abbott was the first to acknowledge that his performance Sunday was not ideal but said he was looking forward to getting back into his training regimen. "It wasn't a perfect skate," he said. But God, I enjoyed every minute of it.