Skating Has Its Own Sweet 16 Run

Sasha Cohen heard the crowd roar its appreciation for a triumphant performance, but the acclaim was not for her. She has left two Olympics and five World Figure Skating Championships without a victor’s tribute, and she might never hear one.

“It’s a pity,” said her coach, John Nicks, his eyes moist. “I’m sort of sad for her.”

As she’d done in Turin, Cohen on Saturday fumbled away a lead and a gold medal. The 21-year-old from Corona del Mar fell once and botched the landings of three other jumps in her long program, creating an opening that 16-year-old Kimmie Meissner seized with the exuberance of an athlete who has no reason to regard pressure as an enemy.

Meissner landed two triple-triple jump combinations in a compelling and near-flawless routine to soar past Cohen and Japan’s Fumie Suguri and win the world title, a blessing for a sport desperate for fresh faces and transcendent performances. Meissner, sixth in Turin, earned a personal-best 129.70 points for her “Queen of Sheba” program and an overall total of 218.33, eclipsing Suguri’s 209.74 and Cohen’s 208.88.

The third U.S. skater, Emily Hughes of Great Neck, N.Y., fell Saturday and placed eighth.

Although Olympic champion Shizuka Arakawa of Japan and bronze medalist Irina Slutskaya of Russia didn’t compete here, neither skated as well in Turin as Meissner did Saturday.

“It’s so funny. Last year I was just watching it, and now I was standing on the podium at the world championships,” said Meissner, whose next major event is the prom at Fallston High, near her home in Bel Air, Md.

“Standing on the podium and watching the flag rise was such an unbelievable moment. I’ve definitely come a long way.”

For Cohen, all roads lead back to her failure to fortify her balletic grace and classic spirals with an unwavering focus. Her “Romeo and Juliet” program ranked fourth behind Meissner, Suguri and Elena Sokolova of Russia, erasing the 3.62-point lead she’d built over Suguri and 5.58-point margin over Meissner.

“I still haven’t found that automatic robot to pump out perfect performances. That’s something I’m still searching for,” said Cohen, who preceded Meissner in the final group and was beneath the stands of the Pengrowth Saddledome when the crowd of 9,843 saluted Meissner.

“There’s been tough days and great days and hard days, and days I’ve persevered through and come out feeling great when I didn’t think it was possible. Those are the moments you go into a cold, empty rink and you want to accomplish a lot and it’s difficult, but it gives you a sense of self-satisfaction that I don’t know if I could find anywhere else.”

After following a shaky qualifying-round performance with a solid short program, Cohen vowed to fight her nerves. She had come undone before: at the 2002 Olympics, slipping from third to fourth; at the 2004 world championships, where she led after the short program but was passed by Arakawa; and at Turin, where Arakawa again vaulted past her to win.

On Saturday she landed her first two jumps, which had tripped her up at Turin, but stepped out of a triple flip, over-rotated a triple toe loop, two-footed a double axel and fell on her final jump, a triple salchow.

“I fought for landing first jump and just stayed in the moment on each one,” said Cohen, the runner-up at the previous two world championships. “I was a little more tired at the end and it made things a little more difficult.”

Nicks had said Friday that Cohen would win if she skated to her potential. She fell well short, a harsh fact she accepted with grace.

“It is frustrating and disappointing, but I know I gave it my best effort and I kind of have to be happy with that part,” said Cohen, who plans to take a vacation before deciding whether to continue competing.

“Years ago I used to cry, but I think I’ve used up all my tears. I just know I’m disappointed and I have to look outside myself, much more logical, and take the helpful steps.”

Meissner, who two weeks ago suffered a punctured eardrum and had to limit her training, said she’d hoped for a top-six finish here. When her music ended and she sensed what she’d accomplished, she let loose a shriek of relief, excitement and the satisfaction of having no regrets.

“It’s always great after a program to feel, ‘That’s everything I had and there’s nothing I could have done any better,’ ” she said. “It feels great.”

A feeling Cohen might never know.