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  • CANOE NAGANO '98 ISP DIRECTORY

    		• canada sked medal preview SLAM! NAGANO

    Sunday, February 15, 1998

    Eldredge seems to be headed for pros

     NAGANO, Japan (AP) -- The medal was lost, the night was over, and Todd Eldredge was hungry.
     So he went in search of a "Grand Slam Breakfast" -- bacon, eggs, toast, the works.
     He found a Denny's, but not a Grand Slam, so he settled for a plate of spaghetti.
     That was least of his problems Saturday night.
     With everything hanging on the 4 1-2-minute Olympic free skate, Eldredge put on his worst performance since reviving his career five years ago. He was third when the night began, a favorite for a medal. He finished fourth.
     But by Sunday morning the pain that was plainly visible the night before was gone, and Eldredge was back to his old self: chatty and friendly and watching Tara Lipinski, the U.S. women's medal hopeful, going through the paces at practice.
     Eldredge won't say it definitively, but he probably has skated his last Olympic performance.
     The five-time U.S. champion said he was "90 percent positive" he would turn professional after the world championships in Minneapolis in early April.
     "Then I'll head off into the real world," the 26-year-old said with a smile.
     But Eldredge, whose Olympic heartbreaks will become part of U.S. skating lore, did not rule out Salt Lake City in 2002 if certain changes are made by the International Skating Union.
     "I don't discount anything," he said. "But as far as for right now, there are no decisions to make -- unless they open the rules ... letting the pros back in like the last time in '94. But I don't see that happening."
     Also in question is whether silver medalist Elvis Stojko will try for another Olympics, if nothing else to torment the judges who aren't always crazy about his programs.
     The 25-year-old Canadian, who finished behind Russian Ilya Kulik, has hedged about turning pro, saying he still has some things he'd like to try in the eligible ranks. He'll have to wait until his torn groin injury heals before attempting anything.
     Kulik, the only skater of the top four likely to remain eligible, could ask Eldredge and Stojko about the uncertainties of the sport. The two preeminent skaters of the last four years could tell him plenty.
     "It's been an interesting year, a tough year, but I made it here and I'll go on to worlds and see what we can do there," said Eldredge, who still finished six places better than he did in 1992, when a back injury ruined his chances.
     The long climb back from troubled times in 1993 and 1994, when he considered quitting, was supposed to culminate in a place on the podium, preferably the top spot.
     But Eldredge never got into a flow. He was off-stride from the first jump and a medal slipped away when Frenchman Philippe Candeloro swashbuckled his way to second in the free skate and third overall.
     "For me, obviously the performance I wanted to put out was not the performance I put out," Eldredge said. "I wish I skated even a decent program for myself. I would have been a little more satisfied. But it was one of those things when it wasn't my day."
     Perhaps his day will come at the world championships, as it did in 1996, when Eldredge turned in two flawless programs, including the best free skate of his life, to win the title.
     The injured Stojko isn't likely to compete for another world title, although Dr. Salim Al-Eazaz, the German team doctor who is treating Stojko's groin injury, said he believes it is not a complete tear. More tests will be done when he returns home.
     The three-time world champion fell victim to the "Canadian curse," which afflicts world champions who go to the Olympics. They leave without a gold medal. Brian Orser fell short in 1988, Kurt Browning in 1992 and '94.
     That wouldn't be enough to keep Stojko around, but his desire to stretch the parameters of figure skating might.
     The 20-year-old baby-faced Kulik should dominate men's figure skating until the next games.
     Kulik matched the 1994 achievement of Alexei Urmanov with his memorable performance, a free skate featuring a quad and eight triples that was a technical wonder. The ease with which he won the gold was remarkable.
     "I'm proud that I'm the Olympic champion. I cannot say what exactly I'm proud about the most. I just love to skate and I love to do the jumps," Kulik said.
     Candeloro won't decide officially until March 10, but he indicated he won't compete for the world title. Instead, he'll hang up his Three Musketeers outfit -- at least competitively. Nobody doubts Candeloro will be a huge star on the professional tours, where he's sure to stop many a show with "D'Artagnan," destined to become a classic.
     Regardless of who is in Minneapolis, the men's skating scene heading toward the next Olympics will undergo significant changes:
     -- Personalities. Look for Kulik, 17-year-old countryman Alexei Yagudin, plus Russia's Yevgeny Pluschenko and Alexander Abt, Americans Michael Weiss and Tim Goebel, China's Guo Zhengxin and perhaps France's Thierry Cerez.
     -- Requirements. The quad almost certainly will become part of the short program next year, and surely before 2002. The boundaries of the competition are ever-expanding, and by the time Salt Lake City's games arrive, gold medal contenders figure to be doing quad combos and triple-triples by rote.
     -- Popularity. As the men move further ahead in technical ability and perform artistic masterpieces like "D'Artagnan," they also might approach the interest level the women enjoy.