Michelle Kwan needs to go back to the future if she is to win a third straight world figure skating title.
Otherwise Kwan’s present shock will grow even greater.
A costly mistake in Friday’s short program means Kwan cannot win simply by taking Saturday’s free skate final in Nagano, Japan.
Because she botched the landing of the first jump in her jump combination, one of eight required elements, Kwan finished third in the short program and stands third overall behind Russia’s Irina Slutskaya and Japan’s Fumie Suguri at the World Figure Skating Championships.
Even if she finishes first in the free skate, Kwan needs Slutskaya to finish third or lower.
“I have been in this position before,” Kwan said. “The difference is I am aware of it this time.”
It also happened in the 2000 worlds at Nice, when Slutskaya helped Kwan come from third to the title. As Kwan won the free skate, Slutskaya finished ahead of compatriot Maria Butyrskaya, the leader after the short program.
Losing in Nagano would make this a lost season for Kwan, who needed only finish second in the Olympic free skate to win the gold medal. She made two key jump mistakes, placed third and wound up with bronze.
Whatever happens, Kwan intends to remain in Olympic-style skating at least through next year, based on ABC-TV commentator Peggy Fleming’s report Thursday.
Slutskaya, seeking her first world title after taking second to Kwan three of the past four years, fulfilled another goal by receiving her first perfect scores in a world meet. She received two 6.0s for her routine Friday.
American Sasha Cohen’s medal chances may have disappeared when she fell on what should be a routine double axel jump and dropped to fifth going into the free skate.
“I really don’t know what happened,” Cohen said.
The third U.S. woman, Jennifer Kirk, fell on her first two jumps and stands 15th.
Ice dancer Benjamin Agosto of Chicago and partner Tanith Belbin, recent winners of the world junior title, finished 13th in the senior event Friday.
