Thursday, February 7, 2002
Stojko jumpy
Skater likely to attempt quad lutz
By STEVE BUFFERY -- Toronto Sun
SALT LAKE CITY -- The Canadian military may want to dispatch an observer next Thursday night when Elvis Stojko performs his free skate program.
His arsenal has become that powerful.
Stojko, competing in his fourth Olympics, surprised a group of figure skating insiders yesterday by announcing that he has added an extra quadruple toe jump to his free program. He also will more than likely attempt to become the first person to land a quad lutz in competition.
At 29, Stojko is supposed to be fading into the sunset. Instead, he continues to raise the bar in his final season of competition.
"I've got nothing to lose and I'm going to let everything hang out," Stojko said yesterday, following his short program practice at the Delta Centre.
If all goes well in the long, Stojko will attempt a quad toe-triple toe jump combination early in the program, followed later by a quad toe, and then a quad lutz, not to mention all the triples he performs in between.
Stojko has practised the quad lutz since he was 17 and landed his first in practice two years later. But he hasn't tried one at a competition, either because of injuries or other priorities.
"I consider that jump mine. It's my favourite jump," he said. "I'd like to do it when it counts (and) what better place than here?"
The feeling in Salt Lake City is that if Stojko wants to seriously challenge young Russian stars Evgeny Plushenko and Alexei Yagudin for the gold medal, he has to raise the bar. And to his credit, he has -- even if he plays down that aspect of his program.
"I don't want to go out there and make a mark so everyone can see it. I want to make a mark for myself because I know I can do it," said the Richmond Hill skater, who touched down in Salt Lake from Calgary about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. "It would be great to be the first one to do it, it would be awesome."
Stojko has been on a high since winning the Canadian men's championships last month in Hamilton. While he still is considered a long shot to win the gold, with defending world champ Plushenko and three-time world king Yagudin supposedly in good form, Stojko slowly has built himself back up this season as a legitimate medal contender.
"I'm healthy, I feel good and I just enjoy every moment," he said. "I try not to think too much about the competition, but just enjoy the feeling, the sensation of what it's like out there. Forget about the competitors, I don't care who's competing, I don't care who's watching. This is about me getting a good feeling and letting it all hang out."
Stojko's teammate, Emanuel Sandhu, has been cleared to practise at full speed after suffering a knee injury at the Four Continents last month. Sandhu experienced inflammation behind his right kneecap and was off a few days.
Sandhu, 21, is hoping that these Olympics will mark the first time at a major international competition that he puts everything together. The Burnaby, B.C.-based skater has the goods and style to become one of the best in the world, but nerves often get the better of him at big meets.
2002 Games Figure Skating Coverage
