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Eyes on the prize Yagudin wins men's short program
Posted: Tuesday March 28, 2000 07:39 PM
NICE, France (AP) -- Alexei Yagudin easily won the men's short program Tuesday at the World Figure Skating Championships, projecting exuberance as he confidently hit a quadruple toe loop and mimicked an orchestra performing a jazzy Nutcracker. The two-time defending champion seethed with enthusiasm as he stepped and stroked rapidly across the ice strumming an air guitar, pounding imagined piano keys and banging invisible drums. He ended the program with a full-body punch in the air, and won straight 5.9s for presentation. "There is just one way to win a third world title -- to work hard and to give your best," Yagudin said. Russian teammate Yevgeny Plushchenko, who took Yagudin's European title last month in Vienna, also hit a quad and the required elements skating to "Sabre Dance." But he lacked the 20-year-old Yagudin's artistry and polish, and finished second going into Friday's free skate, which counts for 50 percent of the score. American Michael Weiss finished third, hitting a quad, but stepping out of the relatively simple, required double axel. Elvis Stojko fell on his quad attempt and wound up fifth in the short program and fourth overall. Yagudin said Weiss' error gave him pause. "When I did the tough part of my routine, I landed the quad and the triple axel-triple toe loop, I was happy," Yagudin said. "(But) I was a little bit scared because I saw Michael Weiss' performance and what happened with his double axel." U.S. runner-up Timothy Goebel, who struggled in the qualifying round, wasn't much better in the short program. His seventh-place finish put him ninth overall. Off-ice events have competed for attention at these championships: the unsettling razor attack on a member of the top French skating pair Tuesday and the withdrawal Sunday of the defending pairs champions, Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, for a failed drug test. Stephane Bernadis was cut on the forearm by a man wielding a razor when he opened his hotel room door, skating officials said. Bernadis managed to slam the door shut, and the attacker fled. The 26-year-old skater required several stitches, but was determined to skate with his partner Sarah Abitbol, in Wednesday's final long program. The seven-time French champions were in medals contention after finishing fourth in the short program Monday. They practiced Tuesday night. "We are unable to say if the attack is random or premeditated or the act of a crazy person," said Didier Gailhaguet, head of the championships organizing committee and president of the French skating federation. The attack unsettled some of the other competitors, and French ice dancers Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat and Anissina had little time to savor their lead after compulsories. Peizerat, who himself received threats following the 1998 Olympics, rushed to see Bernadis after learning of the attack. "He was in shock, but in good shape," Peizerat said. Anissina and Peizerat won the compulsory dances -- the Viennese Waltz and Argentine Tango -- over Italians Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio. Russians Irina Lobacheva and Ilya Averbukh were third. The ice dance continues Thursday with the original dance before the free dance Friday.
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