Slutskaya captures first world title

NAGANO, Japan (AP) -- Irina Slutskaya became the second Russian woman to take a single's title at the World Figure Skating Championship, beating Michelle Kwan Saturday by capturing the final free skating.

It was the fifth time this year Slutskaya has beaten Kwan and eighth in the last 10 times since January 2000. The only two victories for Kwan in that period were at the 2000 and 2001 world championships with Slutskaya second each time. Slutskaya was also second at the 1998 world championships to Kwan.

Slutskaya found it difficult to believe she had the world title as she stood on top of the podium with Kwan below her for the first time at worlds. She is only the second Russian woman to take the individual title. Maria Butyrskaya, who won the 1999 title over Kwan, was the first.

"A couple times I was so close and now I am just so happy as I feel the medal," Slutskaya said. "It's sport and competing. Sometimes someone else wins. We are just competing. Maybe I am just lucky tonight."

Kwan's silver medal was her seventh consecutive medal at the worlds. She has won four times and was silver medalist in 1997, 1999 and 2002.

"Each medal was a different experience and a new one," Kwan said.

Kwan went without a coach this year and said she doesn't want to look back about her decision to fire Frank Carroll last October.

Vanagas drops a bomb NAGANO, Japan (AP) -- The World Figure Skating Championships closed with a bang Saturday but it wasn't exactly what International Skating Union officials had in mind. On Saturday, the final day of competition, Lithuanian ice dancer Povilas Vanagas dropped a bomb with a scathing criticism of the ISU and its judging system after he and partner Margarita Drobiazko finished fourth in Friday's ice dancing final. "Everything is more and more pre-decided and that's very sad," said Vanagas. "This just isn't in ice dancing, you see it now in the pairs and the singles as well." Vanagas was speaking at a press conference Saturday after the Lithuanian Skating Federation filed a protest late Friday when judges awarded Israel's Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovski the bronze medal in the ice dance final. More than 30 skaters and coaches from the ice dancing competition -- including American champions Naomi Lang and Peter Tchernyshev and French coach Muriel Zazoui -- signed a petition in favor of Lithuania's protest. ISU officials declined to comment on the Lithuanian protest. Medal rush The silver medal won by Michelle Kwan at the World Figure Skating Championships was her seventh consecutive at the worlds, the most world medals by a U.S. skater. Kwan passed an elite group of American skaters who had won six world medals, including Dick Button, Todd Eldredge, Hayes Alan Jenkins and Carol Heiss. "Each medal was a different experience and a new one," said Kwan, who finished behind Irina Slutskaya in Saturday's final. Many big names -- including Olympic gold medalists Sarah Hughes -- bypassed the worlds saying they didn't have time to get ready. But Kwan, who won the bronze medal in Salt Lake City, said she was glad she showed up. "If you don't show up, you don't gain anything," said Kwan. "I gained a lot by coming here." See you in D.C. The next world championships will be held in the nation's capital at the MCI Center. It will be the 11th time the world championships have been held in the United States and the first time since 1998 in Minneapolis. The first world championships in the United States were held in New York City. Colorado Springs, Colorado, was the sight of the next four, largely because the Broadmoor Arena in Colorado Springs was a figure skating Mecca. Broadmoor was a training ground for many world and Olympic champions including Peggy Fleming, David Jenkins and Hayes Alan Jenkins. After Colorado Springs, the world championships were held in Hartford, Cincinnati and Oakland before Minneapolis.

"I live with no regrets. My parents have taught me that over the years. Whatever you do make a decision and stick to it," Kwan said. Of course the Olympics didn't go 100 percent how I planned it but you move to the future and for me I feel the future is very bright."

Kwan's future includes school and staying eligible in Olympic-style competition.

"I know for sure I want to go back to school. I know I don't want to turn pro. I know I love competing. I don't know how much I am going to do. I am just going to take one thing at a time," Kwan said.

Slutskaya's plans are somewhat different.

"I will talk with my coach but maybe I will take a season off and give birth to a baby but I don't know when," Slutskaya said. She has been married since August 1999.

This time Slutskaya won the free skating with Kwan second although both did six triple jumps and didn't make a mistake. Slutskaya held on to the lead after the short program.

Kwan was in third place entering the free skating competition, needing the combination of a victory and another skater to finish ahead of Slutskaya in the free skating to win overall.

It didn't happen.

Slutskaya, who won the Olympic silver medal ahead of Kwan's bronze last month at Salt Lake City, finally took the world title. Sarah Hughes of the United States won the Olympic gold but bypassed these world championships, citing lack of training time following the Olympic triumph.

"After the Olympics a lot of people decided not to come," Kwan said. "For me it is like, if you don't show up, you don't gain anything, but also don't lose anything. I gained a lot by coming here."

Slutskaya had six of nine firsts in the free skating to her routine from "Tosca." She had all 5.8s and 5.9s except for a lone 5.7.

Kwan's routine to "Scheherazade" also had six triples, including two triple-double combinations like Slutskaya. But her landings were less secure than Slutskaya and the technical marks reflected it. Five of the technical marks were 5.7s, The rest were 5.8s. Slutskaya had one 5.9 with seven 5.8s and the 5.7.

Slutskaya and Kwan both had thoughts of triple-triple combinations but didn't do any.

"I planned a triple-triple. I landed a little shaky and I didn't try it," Slutskaya said.

"There has been a lot of emphasis on triple-triple combinations. In a performance it is really difficult if you are a little off in the first jump. The first one is a triple already and to power up a second one you have to take that chance," Kwan said. "I too was a little shaky on the first triple toe and that's why I decided not to put in the second triple toe."

Third went to Japan's Fumie Suguri.

American Sasha Cohen was fourth. The other American, Jennifer Kirk, withdrew due to a hip injury before the free skating. She was 15th after falling twice in Friday's short program.

Cohen fell trying her triple lutz-triple toe loop combination

"I was a bit disappointed. It has been a long season," Cohen said. "I would have liked to have a medal but it doesn't turn out how you want."

Yoshie Onda, another Japanese skater, was fifth with Ukraine's Elena Liashenko sixth. Onda again fell trying a triple axel.

The championships ended with Russians taking three of the four titles.

Alexei Yagudin won the men's title on Thursday and Irina Lobacheva and Ilya Averbukh took the ice dance title.

Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo became the first Chinese to capture the pairs title.

Next year's championships are in Washington. D.C.

 

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