ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 22, 1996 TAG: 9603220062
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: EDMONTON, ALBERTA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
TWO AMERICANS win medals as the Canadians are shut out at the World Figure Skating Championships.
Todd Eldredge, world champion. Rudy Galindo, bronze medal. The culmination of two remarkable comebacks.
Eldredge, who returned from the depths of figure skating last year to win his third U.S. title, became the first American in eight years to win the World Figure Skating Championships gold medal Thursday night.
His free skate was perfect, and it needed to be to beat rising Russian star Ilia Kulik, who finished second.
Galindo, never before a medals contender in singles, capped his astonishing season by taking third place. He, too, didn't miss an element on a night when it took some superb skating to keep up.
Two-time defending champion Elvis Stojko finally gave his countrymen a thrill, nailing a quadruple toe loop-double toe loop combination to soar from seventh place and wind up fourth. He was third in the free skate, worth two-thirds of the total score, and was serenaded by a chorus of ``Happy Birthday'' - Stojko turns 24 today.
Olympic champion Alexei Urmanov of Russia had an awful time, falling once, stepping out of two jumps and even faltering on his footwork. That dropped him to fifth.
Dan Hollander of Huntington Woods, Mich., was 10th, an excellent showing for his first worlds and a tribute to the strength and depth of the U.S. team.
It was the first time since 1981 two Americans won world championship medals in men's singles. Scott Hamilton and David Santee wound up 1-2 that year.
The last U.S. winner at worlds was Brian Boitano in 1988, a month after he won the Olympics. Boitano was at the sold out Edmonton Coliseum on Thursday to see Eldredge, 24, solidify his status among the elite of the sport.
Just two years ago, Eldredge was plagued by injuries and self-doubt. He won the 1990 and '91 U.S. crowns as a teen-ager and appeared set to dominate the skating scene.
Then he hurt his back, missing the 1992 nationals and being given a spot on the Olympic squad in a controversial decision. He wasn't in shape and finished 10th at Albertville.
Even worse, he slipped to sixth and fourth in the next two American championships and didn't even make the Olympics at Lillehammer.
At the World Figure Skating Championships, Eldredge hit eight triples, four in combination, and was as smooth as the ice throughout his 4 1/2-minute routine. He drew nine marks of 5.9 out of 6.0, and was first with five judges.
Kulik, 18 and facing the utmost in pressure by skating last, was just as good, hitting all eight of his triples. He wasn't quite as polished as Eldredge, and that apparently made the difference.
Still Kulik, who was first with three judges, rose from ninth at last year's worlds.
Galindo had been to two world championships, in pairs, partnered with Kristi Yamaguchi. But that was in 1989 and 1990, eons ago in the rapidly changing world of figure skating.
There was no indication Galindo would be a factor heading into the season. The 26-year-old even quit skating to teach and earn money a year ago. But he came back with new resolve, and he has left behind the bills and the trailer park home forever.
Skating to ``Swan Lake,'' Galindo hit eight triples, not only securing a spot in the top 10 - his admitted goal - but grabbing the bronze.
That denied Stojko a medal, marking the first time a Canadian man didn't get one at worlds since '81.
Stojko was first with one judge, from Poland, but couldn't overcome being seventh in the short program after falling on a triple axel.
In the original dance, Olympic champions Oksana Gritschuk and Evgeny Platov of Russia, seeking their third straight world title, were winners. On Tuesday, they took the compulsories. The free dance is tonight.
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP Todd Eldredge of the United States won the goldby CNBmedal at the World Figure Skating Championships on Thursday. KEYWORDS: ILYA KULIK