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Alexei Yagudin is poised to take the gold; Tim Goebel is mistake-free in leading the U.S. contingent.
Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 13, 2002
SALT LAKE CITY -- The Russian rivalry fizzled as soon as world champion Evgeni Plushenko crashed to the ice Tuesday night. In its place could be a free skate to gold for Alexei Yagudin.
The only American with a shot at a medal is Tim Goebel, who was third after a mistake-free program, behind Japan's Takeshi Honda.
Todd Eldredge's hopes for a strong Olympic performance fell flat, as did his triple axel. The six-time U.S. national champion also botched the quadruple jump that has been the bane of his career.
American Michael Weiss, with the misfortune of skating first, was eighth, just ahead of Eldredge, who finished fourth four years ago.
Eldredge, 30, skipped two seasons, then returned in 2001 to grab a bronze at the World Championships. He won't be topping off his career with any Olympic medal.
"I still got one left," Eldredge said of perhaps finally doing a memorable Olympic long program. "I still got a shot to do it on Thursday."
That would be in the free skate, worth two-thirds of the total score.
Plushenko was fortunate to finish fourth. But he'll need a complete collapse by Yagudin to have any chance of beating his countryman.
Dressed in a black-and-white costume resembling a snow-covered tree, Yagudin went from cautious at the start to a near tap dance in the middle to a magnificently tight, quick spin at the end. From picking up ice shavings and throwing them in the air, to blowing kisses to the crowd, he entertained the fans -- and seemed to have just as much fun himself.
"I was a little bit nervous because it is the actual Olympics," said Yagudin, who finished fifth in the Nagano Games, skating with a high fever. "It's not the Russian nationals, it's not Europeans, it's not worlds, it's the Olympics. It's two times tougher to skate here."
Goebel, dubbed the "Quad King" for the ease with which he does the four-revolution leap, nailed all of his jumps. But his spins were slow and his artistry doesn't come close to the level of the Russians.
Goebel trailed Japan's Honda, whose spins and footwork were superior and whose triple lutz was more difficult than Goebel's triple flip.
"I was absolutely thrilled with how I skated tonight," said Goebel, who fought back tears on his way off the ice. "I have not been thinking about the medals since I got here. That hasn't changed."
Plushenko, in disco silver and black, had all the Michael Jackson moves down pat. What he didn't have was his quad toe loop, which he missed, and then he just skipped his combination jump.
That means he will need help in the free skate, even if he wins it. If Yagudin, a three-time world champion, finishes second to his rival on Thursday, he still wins the gold.
Canada's Elvis Stojko, the silver medalist in the last two Olympics, could have soared into contention again. The last skater on the ice, he stepped out of his quad jump, then traveled badly on his sit spin, dropping to seventh.