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| | Monday, March 27 Yagudin edges Eldredge for 1998 men's world championship crown | |||||
| It might be the beginning of a long championship journey for Alexei Yagudin. And it might not be the end of the road for Todd Eldredge.
Yagudin became the second-youngest man to win the World Figure Skating Championship He edged Eldredge, even though the five-time American champion outskated the 18-year-old Russian in the free skate.
Eldredge needed help, however, after botching the short program, where he was fourth. He didn't get it from 15-year-old Evgeni Plushenko, the world junior champion who wound up third, nor from teammate Michael Weiss, who plummeted to sixth. Yagudin's runner-up finish in the free skate, worth two-thirds of the total program, was good enough.
"This evening was not my best skating," said Yagudin, who along with Plushenko and Olympic champion Ilya Kulik makes Russia the dominant nation in three skating disciplines - men's, pairs and dance. "It was too hard to lead after the short program, when so many strong skaters go after me. I was lucky today, that's all."
Eldredge was wonderful, staging one of the most memorable free skates of his illustrious career, sweeping the judging panel. But he blew his chance for a second world title in the short program, because he needed to beat Yagudin by at least two places in the long.
"Last night, I was disappointed at the results and the way I skated," said Eldredge, 26. "To miss the (triple) axel in the short program after doing clean short programs all year was really disappointing."
The only possible disappointment in Eldredge's free skate was his fall on the quadruple toe loop, a jump he never has mastered. But he'll keep working on it, because he has no plans to give up his Olympic eligibility.
"Eligible? Yes," said Eldredge, who was fourth at Nagano, one spot ahead of Yagudin. "I will remain eligible, possibly for another Olympics. This is definitely my last worlds. I have to see how my body will last and reconsider ... I will compete only in pro-ams and not do anything to jeopardize my eligibility."
Rarely in his stellar career, in which he also won the world crown in 1996, has Eldredge been better than he was Thursday night. Just about everything was magical, and the crowd was cheering wildly for the last minute of his performance.
Eldredge nailed seven triple jumps, three in combination. His spins were superb, as always. He was so in control in the final moments that even his non-demonstrative coach, Richard Callaghan, was pounding the top of the end boards.
"This was probably the most important night for him," Callaghan said. "If you leave proud and happy, that will make a difference in your life for years. And he is happy."
Yagudin was so happy he couldn't stop crying. He broke down backstage when he learned he'd won - which didn't officially happen until Plushenko struggled in his free skate, falling twice on quad toe loops at the outset.
"When I was standing atop the medals podium, I was thinking I was too lucky. At that moment, you can't really think about anything," said Yagudin, who was plagued by the flu in Nagano.
Yagudin is 18 years, 15 days. In 1963, Donald McPherson of Canada won just nine days after his 18th birthday.
"When I finished my free program, I was thinking I had a chance, but I didn't skate good," he added. "I was waiting to see if Todd would skate well and Yevgeni would skate well."
Weiss never gave himself a chance. Hoping to make his international medals breakthrough - he was seventh in the Olympics - he had a rough night. He landed four triple jumps, but two others were flawed.
"It's not something that is crushing," said Weiss, who has no plans to turn pro. "I didn't go out and completely fall apart."
Russia has won both gold medals thus far, with Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze taking the pairs. Also leading and likely to win the dance are Russians Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsyannikov.
Krylova-Ovsyannikov won the original dance Thursday and also took both compulsory dances. It might take an act of congress - the International Skating Union congress in June, that is - before a couple in that position doesn't win the overall title.
The ISU will consider dozens of proposals about changing the format and scoring for dance when it meets. Until then, it's status quo.
| ALSO SEE ABC Sports looks back at the last three Mens World Championships Michelle Kwan (US) and the Russians rule the worlds AUDIO/VIDEO  Alexei Yagudin wins the 1998 World Championship (Courtesy: ABC Sports)RealVideo: 56.6 | |||||
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