Flatt edges Zhang and Nagasu for title

It was no surprise the U.S. women swept the medals Saturday at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

After all, the U.S. team included the 1-2-4 finishers from the most competitive senior national championships in the world.

But the results, with Rachael Flatt sneaking out of the shadows to take the title from defending world junior champion Caroline Zhang and reigning U.S. champion Mirai Nagasu, mean there will be a ferocious battle for places on the U.S. team at the 2009 senior worlds in Los Angeles and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Especially because the U.S. is likely to have only two women’s places at the 2009 worlds. If that happens, there will be no margin of error to get three places at the 2010 Olympics.

“This is a really good group of U.S. ladies,” said Zhang, of Brea. “The next two years will be tough but really fun too.”

Put former world champion Kimmie Meissner, reigning U.S. bronze medalist Ashley Wagner, 2006 Olympian Emily Hughes and 2007 world team member Alissa Czisny in the mix. If all skate to past capabilities, it will be ice wars at the 2009 U.S. championships in Cleveland.

“I can’t wait,” said Flatt, a native of Del Mar.

To get three senior world places, a country must have the placings of its top two finishers at the previous world meet add up to no more than 13 (if it has three entrants, that means one poor finish has no impact).

The U.S. team got 13 last year, when 2006 world champion Meissner was fourth, Hughes ninth and Czisny 15th.

The U.S. team going to senior worlds at Gothenburg, Sweden, this month includes Meissner, battling a slump that left her last at the Grand Prix Final and seventh at the U.S. Championships; and world senior debutantes Wagner, 16, and Bebe Liang, 19.

Flatt, 15, and 14-year-olds Zhang and Nagasu, of Arcadia, all missed the minimum age cutoff for senior worlds.

Saturday, Flatt skated better than she had this year, winning the free skate with strong jumping and overall consistency that overcame a nearly five-point deficit after the short program.

Flatt finished with 172.19 points, only .35 ahead of Zhang (171.84), who also delivered a strong free skate, but nearly 10 points ahead of Nagasu (162.89), the short-program winner, who struggled with four jumps in the long program.

Philip Hersh covers Olympic sports for The Times and the Chicago Tribune.