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| | Friday, October 6 Kwan and the Russians rule the 1998 worlds | |||||
| Associated Press Other than the names, not much changed from Nagano to Minneapolis. An American won the women's crown, Russians won everything else. Michelle Kwan capped an impressive but imperfect season when she won her second World Figure Skating Championships title. Kwan, like all the other winners at worlds, beat a watered-down field as illness, injuries and ennui kept away many of the Olympic stars and nearly all the medalists. Kwan was joined by Todd Eldredge (men's silver) and Jenni Meno and Todd Sand (pairs) as Americans on the medals podium. None skated close to their optimum, yet all easily went home with something. The Russians ruled the rest of the worlds. Alexei Yagudin became the second-youngest men's world champion at 18 and Yevgeni Plushenko, only 15, took bronze. Irina Slutskaya and Maria Butyrskaya were second and third, respectively, behind Kwan. Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won in pairs. All will remain Olympic eligible. Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsyannikov moved up one spot in dance, as did the other world medalists after Pasha Grishuk and Yevgeny Platov took a pass, presumably to turn pro. Of course, that's the way it works in dance - at least until the International Skating Union holds its congress in June, when major changes probably will be made. Russia's dominance is nothing new. Since 1994, when skaters began representing each of the old Soviet republics in Olympics and World Championships, the Russians have won gold at Lillehammer and Nagano in men's, dance and pairs. They also took silver in pairs and dance at both games. In worlds, they've won 21 medals from 1994 until now. "I don't know why it is that we win so much," Yagudin said. "Maybe we just have the best skaters." With many of the best skaters - Tara Lipinski, Lu Chen, Grishuk and Platov, Oksana Kazakova and Artur Dmitriev, Ilya Kulik, Elvis Stojko and Philippe Candeloro - elsewhere, this was not a memorable worlds. Only Yagudin, fifth at Nagano, and Eldredge made big leaps in the men's field. While Slutskaya and Butyrskaya did well at the Target Center, they weren't close to threatening Kwan. And she skated better at Nagano in winning silver than at Minneapolis while taking gold. "I feel I'm going to have a couple months this year to concentrate on improving and doing more difficulty in my programs," Kwan said. "I want time for myself to train hard and keep on improving." Meno and Sand were also-rans at the Olympics, finishing eighth. In a stronger field, including two-time U.S. champions Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen, who were absent because of injury, they might not have medaled at worlds. But their silver medal in their farewell to eligible skating was their third in these championships and they won three U.S. crowns. Their departure - along with the likely leaving by Ina and Dungjen - leaves American pairs with a major void, even though three couples can go to next year's worlds. If Lipinski turns pro, as is expected, and with five-time American dance champs Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow retired (they were sixth here), U.S. skating is at a pivotal stage. Although it will have strong representation at the 1999 worlds in Helsinki, the United States will have only one medals favorite. That will be Kwan, who despite finishing second to Lipinski at the Olympics, won her other three events, including a second national crown. And she competed all year with a stress fracture in her foot. "It happens every few years that we wonder where the next generation of skaters will come from," said Carol Heiss Jenkins, the 1960 Olympic champion and one of the most renowned coaches in the sport. "And some young skaters come along to fill the void."
| ALSO SEE ABC Sports looks back at the last three Women's World Championships Alexei Yagudin edges Todd Eldredge for 1998 men's crown AUDIO/VIDEO  Michelle Kwan wins the 1998 World Championship (Courtesy: ABC Sports)RealVideo: 56.6 | |||||
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