Amy Sancetta-- AP
Eldredge's ill fortune made all the difference for Candeloro,
who skated after him in Saturday's lineup to the theme from The
Three Musketeers. Skating's flashiest showman, Candeloro, who
was laid up with an ankle injury last year, played the
swashbuckler with abandon, complete with pretend sword fights.
The crowd at the White Ring roared in appreciation. His jumps
were high and upright, as they generally are, but his execution
was messy.
Prior to Nagano, Eldredge had indicated that he would turn pro
after the 1998 world championships. But his disappointing
showing last week may compel him to give the Olympics another go
in four years. None of the other top finishers have revealed
their plans for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. But
there will be new faces to watch, particularly America's Michael
Weiss, who attempted a quadruple Lutz at Nagano. He failed, but
he is still the only person ever to try that jump in
competition, and by week's end he had climbed from 11th to 7th
place. Yagudin, whose coach said he was running a high fever,
placed fifth at Nagano; only 17, he is already a force to
contend with. China's Guo Zhengxin, eighth, also seems a
potential star. Guo shot for two quadruples in the finals last
week and landed one of them impressively.
The quad could be more important than ever in Salt Lake. The
International Skating Union's technical committee has proposed
that the rules be changed to allow the quad as an option for the
solo jump in the short program. The vote will take place in
June. That means that male skaters who want to win competitions
and duke it out at the top levels will not be able to avoid the
quad. A bad shirt, maybe; but powerhouse acrobatics, no.
--Reported by Alice Park /Nagano
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4
|
