Weiss draws undesirable first slot

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- While the other two Americans drew acceptable spots for Tuesday night's Olympic figure skating short program, Michael Weiss was stuck with the undesirable first position.

Tim Goebel wound up 20th and Todd Eldredge had perhaps the best fortune in Sunday's blind draw, getting No. 25 out of 29.

World champion Evgeny Plushenko of Russia drew 18th, four spots after his main challenger, three-time world champion Alexei Yagudin. The third Russian, Alexander Abt, will go just before Eldredge.

Elvis Stojko of Canada, who won the silver medal at the last two Olympics, will be the final skater in the short program, worth one-third of the total score.

"The first place is not the greatest to be in, but I have skated first and won," Weiss said. "I skated first at [the 1993] nationals in juniors and won both the short and long programs."

Weiss was comforted by the fact Ilia Kulik, the 1998 Olympic champion, won the short program in the 1996 worlds after skating in the second slot. But he also knows that Brian Boitano bombed in the short program at Lillehammer in 1994 as the opening skater.

"It happens," Weiss added. "The good thing is the marks will be similar, not all up and down."

Audrey Weisiger, Weiss' coach, said she has "tortured Michael for years' with every kind of scenario, so he is well prepared to handle any draw."

 

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