Three of four defending world champions went down to defeat to hungrier rivals and battle lines were drawn for next February's Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

	Michelle Kwan (right) and Irina Slutskaya will renew their rivalry at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Evgeni Plushenko soared with his quad-triple-double to claim the men's gold, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier shocked the Russians in the pairs, and Barbara Fusar Poli and Maurizio Margaglio won ice dancing for Italy's first-ever gold.

Kwan, alone, survived the charge of challengers to take her fourth world crown, ending what the 1996, 1998 and 2000 titleholder termed her "odd-year jinx."

Russia's perennial bridesmaid Irina Slutskaya settled for silver yet again, despite becoming the first woman to perform a triple salchow-triple loop-double toe loop jump combination.

Sarah Hughes, 15, the number two American woman, signaled her arrival as a top-flight contender to claim bronze ahead of 1999 world champion Maria Butyrskaya, 28, of Russia.

"I've had a roller coaster year. To end like this is really amazing," said Kwan, who had lost twice to Slutskaya this season.

Defending three-time world titleholder Alexei Yagudin, his injured foot injected with anesthetic, fought valiantly to hold off his younger compatriot but a feisty Plushenko would not be denied this time.

No perfect 6.0s were handed out in the week, despite a flurry of fabulous performances. None of the skaters, including Plushenko, seemed to mind.

"To me it didn't matter -- 5.9, 6.0. The most important thing was that I won," said the mop-haired blond.

American Todd Eldredge, the 1996 world champion, stepped back into the fray after a two-year hiatus to claim bronze.

At 29, he is the oldest man to win a world medal since 30-year-old Roger Turner won silver in 1931.

	Elvis Stojko could not find a way to work his magic before his hometown crowd in Vancouver.

STOJKO CRASHES
Meanwhile, Elvis Stojko, Canada's three-time world champion who was coming off a series of injuries, crashed and burned on home ice.

Stojko finished 10th, his worst showing in 11 world championships, but vowed to return to skate another day.

While Stojko went 0 for 5 in the quadruple jump department this week, a record 10 other high-flyers did land the four revolution jump.

The United States and Russia dominated the singles events, taking the top six spots in the women's, top four in men's. That result gives those countries three singles entries each at the 2002 Olympics.

China also earned three berths in the men's event thanks to the top-10 finishes of their masterful quadruple jumpers.

In pair skating, Canada, Russia and China were the dominant forces and will account for nine of the 20 Olympic entries.

Canadian duo Sale and Pelletier represent Canada's best hopes for Olympic gold after their win over Russia's double world champions Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze.

The Canadian duo's emotional, jubilant reaction to their win may be the most enduring image of the championships.

The Russians, however, were near-flawless, too, ranking first on three judges' cards.

China's Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, dismayed by their bronze medal finish, could pose the biggest challenge to the top two teams heading to Salt Lake.

The ice dancing triumph of Italy's Fusar Poli and Margaglio was a bitter pill to swallow for 2000 world champions Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat of France who dominated last year.

"It's like a dream," Fusar Poli said of the Italians' win.

Russia's Irina Lobacheva and Ilia Averbukh took bronze. Some 214,000 paid spectators filed through the turnstiles this week, not including the 9,000 who showed up for the men's practice sessions last Sunday.