|  KWAN LEADS GROUP A AND SLUTSKAYA GROUP B IN THE LADIES QUALIFYING ROUNDS...March 20, 2002. Maybe it was the early hour but most of the top competitiors in the ladies' qualifying round had a problem with doubling their triple jumps. Michelle Kwan lead qualifying group A with Fumie Suguri of Japan coming in second. Irina Slutskaya of Russia finished top in group B followed by Sasha Cohen.Maria Butryskaya of Russia had a miserable performance after skating first in group A. She had an enormous problem landing her jumps and after skating did not even go to the kiss and cry area to hear her scores. YAGUDIN FIRST AFTER SHORT PROGRAM - "6" IS HIS LUCKY NUMBER...March 19, 2002. Olympic Champion Alexei Yagudin has to be delighted he decided to attend Worlds after a short period of being undecided. Blowing away the competition, he won the mens short program with six perfect 6.0 marks - a record. Fellow Russian Alexander Abt is in second place with Timothy Goebel of the US just behind in third place. Takeshi Honda of Japan is in fourth place and Michael Weiss of the US is in fifth place.WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY TWO... March 19, 2002. Olympic Silver dance medallists, Irina Lobacheva and Ilia Averbukh of Russia, finish in the top spot after the first compulsory dance. The dance was the Golden Waltz. Canada's Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz are second, followed by Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas of Lithuania.Meanwhile the men prepare for their upcoming competitions. With Alexei Yagudin's chief rival, Evgeni Plushenko absent, his major threat is the US's "quad king", Timothy Goebel.
WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY ONE...
March 18, 2002. The Worlds have kicked off with some fabulous performances! Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China are first after the pairs short program. They showed up to Nagano in competition mode delivering some of their highest throw jumps and their trademark airbourne split twist. The competition, minus both Olympic co-gold medal winners, is prime for the Chinese. This maybe the year they finally get a World gold medal. Following them in second place is Russia's Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin and in third place, Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman of America.The only Olympic gold medalist at Worlds, US's Olympic bronze medalists Timothy Goebel is first after the Men's qualifying round with stong finishes by Alexei Yagudin of Russia and Michael Weiss (USA). For more information on the Worlds venue check out 2002 Nagano World Championships. The 2003 World Figure Skating Championships will be held in Washington, DC.
YOU'LL SEE YAGUDIN AT WORLDS...March 13, 2002. Russia's Alexei Yagudin's dream has come true of winning an Olympic gold medal - but he is not about to stop there! With no plans to turn pro in the near future it is business as usual. The only Olympic champion who will appear at Worlds, he has not been plagued by the same media circus as the pairs co-gold medal winners or ladies champion, Sarah Hughes, which has kept them from being able to prepare for the upcoming event. Also missing will be Yagudin's chief rival and fellow Russian silver medalist, Evgeni Plushenko, who has withdrawn due to injury. For more info go to Yagudin Confirms- Will Attend WorldsKwan, Prior, Webb Among Finalists for Sullivan AwardReuters March 12, 2002
ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING...March 12, 2002. Canada's two-time Olympic silver medalist and three time World Champion, Elvis Stojko, has announced the end of his competitive career and new move to the pros. | "I'm relieved, I'm happy," Stojko said in an interview after making what he called the hardest decision of his life. "I've made my decision to move on, and to not have to compete at worlds is a big
relief off my shoulders. "I didn't feel as if I was going to be prepared. I've been physically tired -- not driven as much as I would have liked."
RUSSIA'S SILVER MEDALIST FINALLY GETS GOLD...March 11, 2002. In a mock ceremony on Moscow's Red Square, Ladies' silver medalists Irina Slutskaya receives a gold medal from a Russian businessman.Russians were upset after the decision to award dual gold medals after the pairs controversy and filed a protest requesting that Slutskaya also be awarded a dual gold medal alongside Sarah Hughes. Their request was denied. Feeling their athlete was slighted, she was given an oversized replica of an Olympic gold medal. The 23 year old was thrilled.
PAIRS CHAMPIONS BEREHZNAYA AND SIKHARULIDZE LATEST COUPLE TO PULL OUT OF WORLDS...March 5, 2002. According to a Russian news article, the Russian gold medalists will not be attending the upcoming World Championships. They will also not be on the upcoming Champions On Ice tour. The article did state, however, that they have signed a contract with an American ice show. Could this mean they are going pro and joining Stars On Ice? I will keep looking into the matter and post my findings here. Check back soon.
MICHELLE KWAN SIGNS DEAL WITH DISNEY...March 5, 2002. Kwan, who has worked with Disney before, signed a three year contract with the company as a spokeswoman. Click Here for more details.SARAH HUGHES WITHDRAWS FROM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS...March 5, 2002. Olympic Champion Sarah Hughes withdrew from the World Championship competition today. Though she has no plans to turn pro like her predecessor, Tara Lipinski, Hughes feels she has not had adequate time to train with the whirlwind of activity that followed her Olympic win."She said, 'Make sure everybody knows I am still going to compete.'" said Robin Wagner, Hughes' coach. "She really wants to compete. She says 'I've won this, which is great, but I want a national title, I want a world title. I just really love competing.'" Hughes has not been on the ice since skating the Olympic Exhibition. During the last two weeks, she has had an exhausting schedule attending the Grammys, making numerous TV appearances, ringing the New York Stock Exchange bell, and hobnobbing with various celebrities. She says her next skating goal is to capture the National title.
SKATING'S BAD GIRL, TONYA HARDING, TO BOX ON FOX...
March 4, 2002. Harding is adding the title of "celebrity boxer" to her long list of failed career attempts since her demise at the 1994 Olympics in Lilehammer. Originally scheduled to fight the Long Island Lolita, Amy Fisher, on March 13th in a one hour special on the Fox Network (9pm ET), I heard a rumor today that Fisher is out-to be replaced by Paula Jones. Whoever meets up with Tonya in the ring, they have my condolences. Despite Harding's habit of inflicting self-sabotage on herself, she is a formidable athelete who has natural strength and power. I mean, lets not forget that she was the first and last American woman to do a triple axel in competition! And, well, we won't even bring up the fact that she beat up her boyfriend with a hubcap. That aside, the showdown does promise to be interesting. For more information check Dubious Celebs Duke It Out (USA Today)More info on this subject... |
Copyright � 2001 Vicki Bennett
