Eldredge Says He’s Retiring

Todd Eldredge didn’t win the Olympic medal he so fervently wanted. He settled instead for one final strong performance on the world stage before announcing Wednesday he will leave Olympic-eligible competition.

Eldredge, who won his sixth U.S. title last month, fell in his Olympic short program last week but rallied to finish sixth on the strength of an impressive free skate. That, he said, was enough for him to give up the chance to compete at next month’s world championships at Nagano, Japan. Matt Savoie, fourth at the U.S. nationals, will take his place.

“I’m very happy with the performance I had in the long program here,” said Eldredge, who won the 1996 world championship and was third at last year’s world competition. “It didn’t have the result I wanted, but I want to end my career on a great performance and a high, and there’s no better place to do that than at the Olympics in the U.S.

“I’m looking forward to letting some of the new guys get in [to the world championships] and have some of the successes I’ve had over the years.”

Eldredge, 30, said he will compete in pro-ams and perform in skating shows. He will also participate in skating seminars, hoping to bring youngsters into the sport.

“My Olympic career has somewhat paralleled my entire career in that it had its high points and low points,” said Eldredge, who was 10th at the 1992 Albertville Games and fourth at Nagano four years ago.

“In ’92 I was kind of the new kid.... For me to stick around and finish with a great long program is the culmination of all the efforts I’ve put into the Olympics.”

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Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, raised to co-gold medalist status with Russians Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze after improprieties were found in the judging of the pairs event, have agreed to participate in an ice show March 12 and are mulling other offers.

Their agent, Craig Fenech, said Wednesday the pair will perform in a show called, “Jamie and David and Friends,” at Skyreach Centre in Edmonton, Canada.

The rest of the cast has not been determined.

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Federal agents have seized tons of fake Olympic pins--even copycats of their own official pins--and confiscated enough clothing to stock an Olympic superstore with everything from baseball caps to $1,000 leather pants.

“We’re making a significant dent in the Olympic trafficking,” U.S. Customs Service Agent Donald Daufenbach said.

Selling counterfeit Olympic goods is a federal crime punishable by up to $2 million in fines and 10 years in prison.

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Belarussian ski jumper Andrej Lyskovec apparently enjoyed his visit to the United States so much he didn’t want to go home to Minsk right away.

Lyskovec was last seen by teammates Sunday, sending officials scurrying Monday when he didn’t show up for their flight home.

His wife finally solved the mystery. Police spoke to her Tuesday, and she said her husband had called to tell her he was remaining in the U.S. for a few months.

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Times staff writer Helene Elliott and the Associated Press contributed to this report.