2000 World Championships

Men

Qualifying Groups

Third place in Group A was taken by Chengjiang Li , who had skated immediately preceding Yagudin. He landed the second quad of the group in an opening quad toe loop - double toe loop combination. In addition he landed four triples including two triple Axels. An attempt at triple loop was doubled. Despite strong jumps, his skating remains weak in several respects although he has noticeably improved over the past year. His connecting moves and footwork remain simple and his spins are still rather elementary. In assessing his program he said, "I am not fully satisfied with my program. I chose the same program as last year because I like it! I like the arena very much. It is my first time in a senior World Championship. I am very glad to be here and the higher I place the better I am. I will do my best."

Short Program

In the short program Alexei Yagudin took complete control of the event.  Evgeni Plushenko and Michael Weiss held their own, while Elvis Stojko faltered and Timothy Goebel redeemed himself to move up into the top10.

Skating with great energy, Yagudin gave an outstanding performance with strong elements and great presentation.  Eight of the nine judges placed him 2 to 3 tenths above his nearest rival, while the Canadian judge tied him with Plushenko in total score and then gave Plushenko the edge on the first mark.  Yagudin opened with a successful quad toe loop and also landed triple Axel - triple toe loop.  He received marks of 5.8 and 5.9, except for the Canadian judge who doled at a miserly 5.7 in technical merit.   Yagudin's presentation was also aided visually by his getting rid of the horrendous green costume he wore for this program earlier in the season and replacing it with a more tasteful midnight blue costume with a silver G-cleft. design.  On his program he said, "It was hard to skate last.  I heard the reactions of the crowd, the music and the marks, and so I knew what was going on out there.  But I was able to cope with my nervousness and I'm very pleased with my performance.  today, about 20 skaters are your competitors, they can come from everywhere.  There is just one way to win a third World title - to work hard and to give your best top deserve the title."  In a subsequent press conference he said, "I own the short program, and I'm glad about what I did.  It was hard to skate.  This arena is not so good, because you can hear the music, the marks and the reaction of the crowd in each corner of the rink.  I'm happy that I was able to produce a good program.   After I landed the quadruple toe lop and a nice triple Axel -triple toe loop, I was happy, but I was also a bit scared.  I watched Michael Weiss, and he missed the double Axel, so I tried to be prepared for this jump."  Regarding the busy competition schedule during the season he said, "This is our life, our sport.   It's interesting to meet each other often.  I won't do less competitions next year."

Plushenko, who had performed three skaters earlier landed the same jumps as Yagudin and similar spins, the main difference in the latter being his use of the Biellmann position.   The most obvious difference between the two of them was in the step sequences and the connecting moves.  When it comes to feet-on-the-ice skating, Yagudin can skate.   Plushenko, on the other hand, had a simple circular step sequence, a mediocre straight line step sequence, and simple or non-existent connecting moves.  Still, it was good enough for second place since the skaters below him either did not land a quad or had deductible errors in their programs.  All he would say after the program was, "It was difficult to skate, because the air was really dry."  Alexei Mishin, his coach, added, "His marks were a bit low.  It seems the judges are saving the higher ones for someone else.  In the Biellmann spin, Evgeni didn't catch his leg right away.  He has pain in his back and doesn't rain this element too often."  Plushenko was a little more vocal after the short programs were over.   "I skated well," he said.  "The jumps were better than at Europeans, cleaner.  But I made some little mistakes in the spin.  I missed the Biellmann spin a bit, but overall I'm happy."  About the qualifying round he said, "I wasn't really warmed up.  I didn't go to the practice because it was at 6 o'clock in the morning.  I never skated through my long program at 10 AM - and you realized this for sure.  Tonight, it was a normal time for me to skate."

Michael Weiss, who does not land his quads all that consistently landed one here when he really needed it.  Like the top tow skaters he landed quad toe loop followed by the triple Axel - triple toe loop combination.  The program was fast and well done and would have been good enough for second place, and then he committed a foolish error, over-rotating the double and stepping out of the landing.  After he skated he said, "The program was good, the triples were solid.  I just made a stupid mistake on the double Axel that I've never done before."  Later he elaborated, "I felt great about the way I skated tonight.  It was good for me.  I really wanted to go out there and to be very aggressive with the short program.  I just over-jumped the double;e Axel.  I think I put together two solid programs right now and I have one left and I'm looking forward to competing again. ... I was Alexei. He's untouchable!   Well, I think we are all really competitive, end everybody knows that.  It's just about putting it all together.  There are three good programs this year and last year.  That makes it a lot more difficult to maintain your stamina through the week.   I think it's going to be a nice fight on Thursday.  I'm looking forward to it."

Alexander Abt continued his good times with a fourth place finish in the short program that kept him in range of a medal.  He opened with triple Axel - triple toe loop but then opted not to attempt his quad toe loop and put in a triple flip instead.  His program was well done without major errors.  His required step sequences were fast and well done but the remainder of the connecting steps were a little simple in places.   In describing his program he said, "I'm happy with my program.  I decided not to risk the quad.  It was a tactical decision.  I skated first in my group.   I walked away before my second marks came up because I don't really care too much about them.  To me, it was important to have done a clean program."

A good performance was also turned in by Elvis Stojko, except for missing his opening quad toe loop.  His step sequences were fast and well done and his spins were his usual blur.  The fall cost him four tenths in the first mark, and the judges were not particularly kind in the second mark, with three marks there as low as 5.5 and 5.6.   He ended the short program with a fifth place result and fourth place overall.   In describing the quad he said, "I felt really solid all the way through.   Right after the take off, just right in the middle of it, it started leaning on me.   Once that happens, you can't bore it out with your weight on one side.  I just miscued and just make sure I don't miscue in the long program.  I'm frustrated at this point.  I shouldn't have missed it, because it has been going well.  It's disappointing, but I take a day of rest and get it back in the long on Thursday.  I'm pretty confident on what I have.  The quad is not a matter of age."

The second U.S. man in the event, Timothy Goebel, had a better skate than in the qualifying round  to place seventh in the short program and move up to ninth overall.   He landed a quad Salchow and a triple Axel - double toe loop combination. The combination was supposed to have been a triple-triple but the Axel was so-so in quality and he did the double loop instead.  His two required step sequences were well done.   His need for further artistic development was apparent in several gaping holes in the connecting moves and overall presentation of the program.  Four judges had his second mark lower than the first while two judges had them equal. 

A total of seven quads were landed in the short program.  Anthony Liu, Zhengxin Guo, Chengjiang Li, Evgeni Plushenko, Michael Weiss, and Alexei Yagudin all landed quad toe loops.  Timothy Goebel landed a triple Salchow - the first to be landed in a World Championships short program.

Long Program

Under the rules in effect since 1998, only Yagudin and Plushenko were in the position after the short program to win the event by wining the free skating.  Anyone else would have had to win the free skating and also have had at least one additional skater beat Yagudin to vault them to the top.  The way Yagudin had skated in the first two programs, however, that seemed unlikely; and, indeed, for the final program of the event it was Yagudin's competition from start to end.  The big surprise, then, was not that Yagudin captured his third World title, but the way in which Plushenko self-destructed and Stojko returned from the dead.

Having worked his way up into the third of three warmup groups, Tim Goebel was intent on using his quads to gain further ground in overcoming his poor showing in the qualifying round.  As it turned out, however, his performance was only slightly better in the free skating than it was in the qualifying round.  He made several errors, and although he landed two quads, with the errors and his weak presentation he dropped to tenth in the free skating and eleventh overall.  It was not a bad result for his first Worlds, but a decided disappointment compared what he hoped to accomplish.   Afterwards he made reference to the tough time he had all week.  "It was OK.  It wasn't one of my best.  I had a tough start, but I fought through it pretty well.  It has been a tough week for me, and I'm just happy that I held it together as well as I did.  I played with the card that I had pretty well."

Goebel opened with triple flip and then landed only a double Axel instead of the planned triple Axel - triple toe loop combination.  He quickly followed up with quad Salchow - triple toe loop and then a solo quad toe loop.  He next improvised much of the rest of his program, stepping out of a second try at a triple Axel.  He subsequently fell on triple flip and landed triple loop.  Near the end of his program he also landed a triple Salchow.  In between the elements there was precious little, and the judges responded with mediocre technical marks.  In addition, all nine judges had his second mark up to 5 tenths below his first mark. 

The final warmup group began with Stojko.  Being fourth after the short program he had to go all out to strike for a medal.  He missed his opening quad toe loop and then landed triple Axel - double toe loop (instead of triple toe loop).  After a slow start, however, he picked things up and landed seven triple including a second try at triple Axel - triple toe loop, and triple flip triple- toe loop.  Some of his skating looked as old and dusty as the Mummy himself, while in other places he moved.  He finished with his signature fast blur spin.  He received marks that were good but not great, and at the time it did not appear that his effort would allow him to move up substantially in the standings.  But as he remarked in one of the press conferences, "you never know what's going to happen."  After he skated he said, "It's been a really tough year.  I fought through it. I've earned everything I got this year, from first to second, to thirds.  I'm back second in the world.   I made one mistake tonight.  It was a big one, but from where I've been I'm proud of myself where I have come from, and trying to come back has been very difficult."

Later describing the failed quad Stojko said, "When you miss the first jump like that, and it's not just a flip out, but a fall, it knocks the wind out of you.  But you need that jump at that point.  I wanted to throw it back into the program and not to give this up at all.  And then I did the triple Axel - double toe, I pushed the program through to the triple flip - triple toe.  I needed more combinations.   It's been very difficult this year.  But what's happing is, if I keep that not-give-up attitude - it's weird - I always end up near the top."  "I think this definitely sends a message," he said about winning a medal at 27.   "Obviously it wasn't my best skate, but I'm up there, ranked second.  I always believed it's not so much the body but the mind and soul that make it.  The nest couple of months, I'll enjoy tours and my time off, and then I'll see what I want to do."

The Chinese skater Chengjiang Li who was sixth after the short program, like Goebel, put all his hopes into strong jumps; and like Goebel made a slew of errors and was weak in the second mark.  He placed sixth in the free skating but was able to move up one place overall because Alexander Abt, who had been ahead of him melted down in the free skating.  Li ended his first Worlds a little disappointed.  "I'm not fully satisfied with my program," he said.  "All I want to say is that I was very excited and under pressure because these were my first World Championships."

Abt had a good shot for a medal if he had skated as well as he did in the qualifying round, but the pressure appeared to get to him.  He missed his attempt at quad toe loop and landed only four triples, one of which rather poorly.  The judges dropped him to 12th in the free skating and he finished up sixth overall.

Next up was Michael Weiss.  Weiss also missed his quad attempt, two footing it and stepping out.  He then landed triple Axel - double toe loop (instead of triple toe loop), followed later by triple flip - triple toe loop.  He put a hand down on triple Axel, but finally finished strong with triple loop, Salchow, and Lutz.  Despite the errors it was a good job overall, but with two fewer triples, only one triple Axel, and one triple-triple compared to Stojko's two, Stojko slipped ahead of him.  After he skated all Weiss would say is, "no comments."  Later in the post-event press conference he said. "It's been a very long year for me,  As everybody knows, I had a stress fracture in my ankle earlier in the season.  At that point, with the way I was practicing, I never thought I would be back on the podium.  For me to take time off and be able to get back on the podium was a big deal.  It was exciting. ...  After watching then (the others) skate, I was more upset with myself, knowing that people didn't skate this well, that I could have gone in there and maybe skating a solid program, I could have pushed at least Yagudin for it.  It was tough, siting there watching, knowing if I hadn't landed my my second triple Axel with my hand down I could have been second.  As soon as it was done, I wasn't extremely excited about the way I skated.  But I did pull it together at the end and skated a good program.  I think the key was to stick with the program."

Alexei Yagudin then took the ice attempting to become the first man since Kurt Browning to win three Worlds titles in a row.  On his opening quad toe loop - triple toe loop combination he landed the quad but then turned out of the triple.  He followed immediately with a solo quad toe loop.  On triple Axel - triple toe loop he reached on the Axel and had to leave off the second jump.  Triple flip in the middle of the program was followed by another attempt at triple Axel - triple toe loop.  He landed the Axel but had steps in between and could then only manage a single toe loop.  He then landed triple loop and later triple Salchow.  On his final jump, triple Lutz, he fell.  Overall he landed seven quads and triples, and missed attempts at three others.  Despite the technical errors his presentation was outstanding.  He was unanimously placed first by the panel, with seven judges giving him marks of 5.9 for the second mark.  Of all the top men, he was the most satisfied with his performance saying, "Before I started my program, I decided to go for the second quad, no matter how the first jump would be.  That's what I did.  I'm very happy about it.   It was a good idea to change the program (after Europeans).  I really enjoyed the competition and the area.  It's a beautiful place, and when I came here, I was surprised and felt like I was on vacation."

In the men's press conference he said, "Actually I didn't do my best, but it was enough to win.  It was one more step to improve my level of skating.  I wanted to do two quads, and it worked well.  This is important, because I'm training for the Olympic Games.  Compared to last year, there were so many more skaters who tried a quad, there were 20 or 25 (an exaggeration), so it was much harder to defend my two titles.  It has been a difficult season.  My coach and I decided to change the free program, so it was harder to prepare for Worlds."  About his competition he said, "This isn't the end of our career, I'll meet him (Plushenko) a million times more.  I hope that Elvis will stay with us and that Todd Eldredge will come back.   I understood a couple of days ago that we are working so many months, and then it's all over in 4 and 1/2 minutes, and you are just dead!"

Last to skate was Plushenko.  Had he skated a program of even passing resemblance to his qualifying round effort he almost certainly would have medaled.  Most likely he would have placed second, giving Stojko the bronze and knocking Weiss off the podium.   Apparently, he was so intent on beating Yagudin, and so obsessed by the thought that he had to land a quad to do it that he destroyed his program.  The buzz has it that he dislikes Yagudin beyond reason and it would appear here that he let passion get in the way of common sense - not the first time he has done that.

Plushenko opened by doubling an attempted quad toe loop.  He tried one again and tripled it.  He landed a solo triple Axel with a reach and then tried quad toe loop one more time, with a fall the result.  While improvising these jumps he was forced to leave out a flying spin and his second planned triple Axel.  He completed a triple loop as planned in the middle of the program, but in the last section of the program, after landing a triple flip, he left out a spin and inserted a triple Axel - double toe loop - double loop combination.  He completed the last four tricks in the program as choreographed - a triple Salchow, triple loop, and two spins.  Although he actually managed to land seven triples in all of this, the overall impression created was not good either technically or artistically.  He received three second place ordinals and six fourth and fifth place ordinals to end up fourth in the long and fourth overall.   That allowed Stojko to capture the silver medal and Weiss to hold his place on the podium for the bronze.  As usual, Plushenko was unwilling to comment after he skated but his coach, Alexei Mishin, remarked, "I don't know what went wrong tonight.   He was a bit sick after Europeans, maybe that's why he wasn't quite ready."

A total of eight quads were landed in the free skating.  Takeshi Honda, Zhengxin Guo, and Vincent Restencourt landed quad toe loops.  Timothy Goebel landed quad Salchow - triple toe loop and a solo quad toe loop,  Chengjiang Li landed the quad toe loop in a quad-triple toe loop combination, but not the triple.  Alexei Yagudin landed the quad toe loop in a quad-triple toe loop combination, but not the triple.   He also landed a solo quad toe loop.

A total of 20 quads were landed in the event:  five in the qualifying rounds, seven in the short program and eight in the free skating.

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