Ice Skating Crowns To Galindo, Kwan

Once in a while, quite often just once in a lifetime, someone captures a magical moment. Rudy Galindo grabbed it Saturday, and it will remain a part of him - and those who witnessed it - forever.

Galindo, in the biggest upset in decades, won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, earning two perfect marks along the way.

“This was like a dream,” said Galindo, a San Jose native. “I can’t describe this moment right now.

“Yesterday, I just had this feeling, not like I was psychic or something, but I was going to have a clean long. And I kept on imagining after, the crowd standing. The past week, I would just wake up, I couldn’t sleep. I could visualize me getting off the ice with the crowd standing, for some reason.”

As expected, Michelle Kwan, who has had a superb year, capped it with her first national title in the women’s event. Kwan hit seven triple jumps, including a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination for her fifth straight first-place finish this season. Kwan, 15, is the third-youngest women’s champion.

Defending champion Nicole Bobek withdrew just before the free skate with tendinitis in her right ankle. That opened the way for veteran Tonia Kwiatkowski, 24, to finish second and for 13-year-old Tara Lipinski to surge to third place.

The U.S. Figure Skating Association’s international committee decided after the event not to give Bobek a bye to the world championships in March.

Even before Galindo was finished, the fans were on their feet. Galindo took the ice last, and left it to a standing ovation that began with 30 seconds to go in his free skate, to “Swan Lake.” By that time, he had nailed eight triple jumps and was smiling broadly as he completed a stunning performance.

The crowd already was chanting “six” when two of them appeared on the scoreboard, for presentation. They were the first 6.0s of his career. He also earned 11 5.9s for technical merit and presentation.

That was good enough to edge Todd Eldredge, who skated just before Galindo and fell short of winning a fourth national title. Eldredge was first with two of the nine judges for a conservative program to music from the movie “First Knight.”

Soaring to third was Dan Hollander, who like Galindo has been on the border of the medals podium before, but never reached it.

Spokane’s Johnnie Bevan, 10th after the short program on Thursday, finished 10th.

Galindo, who was third in the short program, and Hollander will make their first trips to the world championships in singles. Eldredge, second to Canada’s Elvis Stojko a year ago, will go for the fifth time.