Kwan figures to be in good shape for worlds
She remains solid favorite to retain her title
BUDAPEST, Hungary - Maybe Michelle Kwan will have an easy time at the world championships.
She came out of figure skating’s U.S. championships as a solid favorite to keep her world title in Dortmund, Germany on March 22-29. After the European championships, there is no reason to think differently.
Hungary’s Julia Sebestyen, helped by a home crowd, won with just four triples. She was only 14th at the worlds last year.
Elena Sokolova of Russia, who was second to Kwan last season in the worlds, has been erratic and finished third after a poor showing in the short program.
Sokolova thinks she can be ready for the worlds.
“I have one more event this season,” she said. “I hope I’ll prepare for it much better than here.”
Sebestyen wanted to just think of her victory.
“This is a time for happiness. I am not thinking about anything else,” she said. “We still have time for the worlds.”
Irina Slutskaya beat Kwan the last five times they met in major competitions in 2001-02, but the Russian has not skated competitively this season because of health problems.
The defending men’s champ at the worlds is Evgeni Plushenko, who raised doubts after his showing in Budapest.
He was brilliant at his national championships — earning 16 perfect 6.0s including, a string of nine 6.0s for presentation in his free skating.
Yet, he has lost his last two international events. He was beaten at the Europeans by France’s Brian Joubert and at the Grand Prix final in December by Canada’s Emanuel Sandhu.
Plushenko lost in the Grand Prix on a technicality in the new judging system — something not in effect in Budapest.
Yet, he looked vulnerable in Budapest, missing three jumps while Joubert was doing two quads.
“I still look forward to going to the world championships. I will skate better,” Plushenko said.
He was not that worried about his loss in the Europeans.
“Things like this happen,” he said. “It is not the end of life. I am already a three-time European and two-time world champion. I have many titles.”
He faces a threat from Joubert, who was helped by Plushenko’s former rival, Alexei Yagudin.
“Alexei helped me before the French championship,” Joubert said. “Now we keep contact by Internet and he gives advice. He gives me tips on jumps and mental preparation.”
Johnny Weir, the new U.S. champion, will be making his first trip to the senior worlds.
Weir was flawless in winning the U.S. championships, but he didn’t show a quad jump. All three European medalists — Joubert, Plushenko and Russia’s Ilya Klimkin — had quads in combination.
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