Second Place Makes Kwan Comfortable

Michelle Kwan emerged from the Grand Prix Final feeling victorious, even though she was second to Russia’s Irina Slutskaya for the third consecutive year. In this strange season, in which the four-time world champion changed so many constants in her life in search of new equilibrium, moral victories have great importance.

Although she fell on a triple toe loop she added late in her “Sheherezade” long program to enhance its technical difficulty, Kwan displayed more sureness and command Saturday than she has in a while. Russia’s Irina Slutskaya won the event by getting four first-place votes (and three thirds) to three first-place votes and four seconds for Kwan in Saturday’s long program, which counted for 50% of the final score. However, Kwan was justifiably encouraged after rediscovering some of her old fighting spirit.

“Tonight was not about winning or losing. I wanted to feel comfortable out there,” said Kwan, whose only victory in five major competitions this season was at Skate America in October, days after she dropped longtime coach Frank Carroll.

“Even in practice, I would say, ‘What am I doing?’ Then I said, ‘Just be sure of yourself out there.’ [As for] the fall, you can’t afford those little mistakes. Stupid mistakes, not little ones.”

She had to add the jump to match the seven-triple program pulled off by Sarah Hughes, which ended Hughes’ string of iffy outings since her surprise triumph at Skate Canada last month. “I sort of winged it,” Kwan said, “and that’s what you get for winging it.”

She got a silver medal, though, and Hughes got a confidence-boosting bronze after passing the shaky Maria Butyrskaya.

“This skate was really important for me,” said Hughes, the only woman in the top three to land a triple-triple combination jump. “I feel like I’m back on top of my game.”

Slutskaya landed only four clean triples in her “Tosca” routine at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium yet prevailed on technical marks. “I win, but my skating needs work,” she said. “It’s the last time we’re competing together before the Olympics. It’s nice when you have company like these girls.”

The company on the medal podium is likely to be the same at the Salt Lake City Olympics--just as the men’s medal winners are likely to be the same.

Alexei Yagudin of Russia overtook compatriot Evgeni Plushenko to finish first, winning on presentation marks after the judges disdained the hip-swinging antics in Plushenko’s disjointed, over-the-top routine. Plushenko, the world champion, landed two quads and seven triples, to two quads and five triples by Yagudin, two quads and six triples for U.S. men’s champion Tim Goebel and four triples for Todd (no quad) Eldredge. But his theatrics were clearly a mistake.

“It means a lot for me,” said Yagudin, who sobbed when he realized he had won.

Said Plushenko: “It doesn’t say anything that I need to change the program. I need to move on and continue to work on. I am not upset.”

But Carroll, Goebel’s coach, agreed with the judges’ verdict on Plushenko.

“I think [Plushenko] had better take a long look at his long program,” Carroll said. “I’m [in favor of] classical, basic lines. I like beauty. I like difficulty done with ease. ... I don’t like gimmickry.”

Carroll thought Goebel’s technical marks should have been higher than 5.7s and 5.8s, but Goebel said it wasn’t as clean a program as he had hoped. “Three programs in two days is a killer,” he said.

Defending world pairs champions Jamie Sale and David Pelletier of Canada earned two perfect 6.0s for the presentation of their “Love Story” long program, lifting them past Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia to win for the second consecutive year. Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao of China were third, with Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman of the U.S. fourth.

Despite an erroneous posting on the scoreboard, Canada’s Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz won the ice dance title over Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat of France. The Canadians placed first in the free dance, but the computer wasn’t programmed to factor Saturday’s free dance being weighted more heavily (50%) than Friday’s free dance, which was worth 30% The event’s format has changed since last year’s head-to-head final.

“I was furious,” said Ottavio Cinquanta, president of the International Skating Union. “This was a technical mistake.”

Defending world champions Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio of Italy, who had several slips in their three programs, finished fourth. Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas of Lithuania were third.