DORTMUND, Germany - American men's medal hopes, a long shot after qualifying, soared after Tuesday's short program at the World Figure Skating Championships.
Michael Weiss and Johnny Weir jumped into the top six after Canadian Emanuel Sandhu fell out of contention.
Russian Evgeni Plushenko re-established his superiority over the field after losses to Brian Joubert at Europeans and Sandhu at the Grand Prix final. Runnerup Joubert is within striking distance entering Thursday's final free program, but Sandhu is off the radar after falling once and popping his combination jump into only a double.
German Stefan Lindemann was third, Swiss Stefane Lambiel fourth, Weiss fifth and Weir sixth. After a shaky start in qualifying, U.S. champion Weir pulled together a flowing and error-free short program.
Weir, 19, whose weakness is his lack of a reliable quadruple jump, hit all required elements in the short program, including four triples.
"I know I have to do tougher jumps," Weir said. "I think these are good marks for my first worlds, so I am going to run with it and take it."
Weiss, the 27-year-old former three-time U.S. champion who finished second to Weir this year, had a respectable short program. But he landed a quadruple toe loop on two feet before going back in the air for a triple toe loop.
The good showing of the Americans revived chances for a medal. The last time the American men went without a medal was 1994.
The women start qualifying today with defending champion Michelle Kwan, 2002 champ Irina Slutskaya and three strong Japanese women are in the same group.
U.S. ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS: Libby Ludlow notched her first national title with a win in the giant slalom, and Julia Mancuso got a record fifth medal in five events with a second-place finish in Girdwood, Alaska. Mancuso was second in the GS, slalom, super giant slalom and the downhill. She won the title in the combined.
AUTOS: Second race for Texas?
Texas Motor Speedway could get another Nextel Cup race without a trial. The attorney for a track shareholder who sued NASCAR over its refusal to award a second event said progress is being made in settlement talks. Samuel Cherry said the plaintiffs and NASCAR have agreed not to discuss specifics of the 2-year-old suit. Shareholder Francis Ferko claims in the suit NASCAR breached "implied" and "express" contracts by not awarding a second Nextel Cup race to Texas. NASCAR insists it never promised Texas another race.
BOXING: No luck on appeal
New Jersey regulators rejected the claim by welterweight Ricardo Mayorga that mistakes by a referee cost him his title. Mayorga, who lost the WBA and WBC belts to Cory Spinks in a Dec.13 majority decision, complained to the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board referee Tony Orlando mistakenly ruled Spinks slipped at least twice. Mayorga's camp contended the falls in the eighth and 12th rounds should have been knockdowns. Mayorga's representatives also complained Mayorga, who does not speak English, did not understand instructions given by Orlando in the ring.
OLYMPICS: Field hockey gains for U.S.Tracey Fuchs scored twice on penalty corners to lead the U.S. women's field hockey team 6-0 over Russia at the qualifying tournament in Auckland, New Zealand. The U.S. team moved to a tie with South Korea for third in Pool B. The top two in each group advance to Athens. The United States (1-1-1) plays Spain (3-0) today.
RACE WALKING: American Philip Dunn qualified for his second straight Olympics, finishing the 50-kilometer course in 3:59:12 in Tijuana, Mexico. He finished 28th at the 2000 Sydney Games.
RUGBY: Romanian team drugged?
Members of Romania's national team tested positive for a substance that causes drowsiness and might have been impaired during a match against Russia. Romanian players said they felt sleepy during Saturday's 33-24 loss in a European Cup match and asked to be tested. Doctors discovered traces of phenothiazine in the urine of 12 players. The Romanian Rugby Federation is investigating how the team tested positive and will ask the International Rugby Board to investigate.
ET CETERA
BASKETBALL: Tina Thompson of the WNBA's Houston Comets scored 30 to lead the U.S. women to an 85-69 exhibition victory against the host Czech Republic. The Americans, who opened spring training last month with a three-game sweep of Cuba, are 6-0.
HONOR: Michael Phelps, the only swimmer to set two individual world records on the same day and five in one meet, won the New York Athletic Club's American-International Athlete Trophy as the outstanding athlete of 2003. Five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, who won in 2000 and 2003, was second. Golfer Annika Sorenstam was third.
