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No fretting over fourth
STOJKO RUSTY BUT CALM
But while the river may still stink in five months, Stojko expects to shine.
"I know the program is going to be fine," Stojko said after his fourth-place performance at Skate America. "This wasn't about winning. It was about trying to get back my confidence."
And heading into Skate Canada next week in Kamloops, B.C., Stojko is feeling pretty good about himself.
Eight months ago, after limping and leaping to a silver medal at the Nagano Olympics, Stojko's career was in serious jeopardy, the result of a severe groin injury.
Now he's talking about perfecting the quad once again, fine-tuning his new free skate -- performed to the Merlin soundtrack -- and taking a serious run at a fourth world title next March in Helsinki.
Hot Russian trio
To win there, however, he will have to beat a trio of brilliant young Russians -- Alexei Yagudin, Alexei Urmanov and Evgeni Plushenko -- and one rising American star, Michael Weiss. Yagudin, Weiss and Urmanov finished 1-2-3 overall after yesterday's long program.
Stojko, 26, dropped from second following Thursday's short routine to fourth overall, the first time he has missed the podium at a Grand Prix event.
But instead of dwelling on the negative -- which he never does -- Stojko felt good about his performances at Joe Louis Arena this week. He may have two-footed his quad and the triple Salchow in his long program yesterday, but he was the only man in the event who tried a quad in both programs and, more importantly, his groin is fine.
"I felt good about things," said Stojko, who said he is 85% healthy. "Unless you go through something like (a severe groin injury), you don't understand it."
Solid return
Urmanov, 24, can relate to Stojko's rap.
The 1994 Olympic champion didn't compete last season after injuring his groin at the 1997 worlds, although he skated yesterday as if he had not missed a day of practice in his life, moving up from fourth after the short to third overall on the strength of eight triples.
But the day belonged to the 18-year-old Yagudin who, along with the 15-year-old Plushenko, is one of the red-hot young Russians terrorizing arenas around the world. Plushenko, third at the 1998 worlds, will open his season at Skate Canada.
Yagudin, the defending world champion, skated a virtually flawless long routine, although his nine triples constituted a breach of rules.
Only eight are allowed. The brilliant skater, performing to the Lawrence of Arabia soundtrack, admitted that one of his triples was supposed to be a quad. Weiss, 22, nailed eight triples in his free skate to move from third after the short to second overall.
In women's singles, Maria Butyrskaya finished first despite falling twice. Jennifer Robinson of Windsor ended up eighth in a field of 10.