Skating

Plushenko wins men's world title

WASHINGTON -- The favorite's role agreed with Evgeni Plushenko, even if he didn't have his very best stuff.

The Russian won his second World Figure Skating Championships title Thursday night, sweeping the judges to edge American Tim Goebel. Japan's Takeshi Honda was third, repeating his standing of a year ago, as did Goebel.

Plushenko has chased countryman Alexei Yagudin since the 1998 Olympics, almost always losing out in the major events. But Olympic champion Yagudin, who was in the stands at the MCI Center, is not competing this season because of a hip problem.

Plushenko seized the opportunity, hitting two quadruple jumps and six triples -- he did a quad-triple-double combination as an opener. And he did it with a sore left knee.

But he also under-rotated a triple flip and had some shaky landings. His surpassing artistry, however, made a huge difference, and he received nothing but 5.9s for presentation.

Goebel stuck with his old reliable An American in Paris routine that won him bronze at the Olympics and silver at the worlds last year. More animated than usual -- he even wore a smile a minute into the program and appeared to have tears in his eyes as he finished -- Goebel was spot-on with his jumps. That, of course, is not unusual.

He hit two quads, one in combination, two triple axels and seven triples in all.

Michael Weiss, skating before his hometown crowd in an event he has pointed to for years, had a difficult time from the outset and placed fifth.

Earlier, Russia's Irina Lobacheva and Ilia Averbukh, the defending champions, edged Canada's Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz in the original dance. Americans Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto were seventh, one spot in front of five-time national champions Naomi Lang and Peter Tchernyshev.

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