Lipinski’s Cleaner Act Lands Title

Tara Lipinski, figure skating’s youngest world champion, has shed both the little girl image and a bad habit.

The result: A victory Saturday at the Champions Series Final, the kind of result the 15-year-old Lipinski would like to repeat in two months at the Winter Olympics.

Skating last, Lipinski followed flawless and elegant long programs by Russian Maria Butryskaya and Germany’s Tanja Szewczenko. Butryskaya hit six clean triples. Szewczenko seven, a first for the German champion.

The pressure was on.

Like Szewczenko, Lipinski hit seven triples, but four were in difficult combinations, including her unique triple loop-triple loop.

When the marks went up, Lipinski got a majority of 5.9s for technical performance and artistic expression.

“I was so happy,” Lipinski said. “It feels really good that I won.”

Since winning the 1997 world championship at 14, Lipinski has been working on improving her skating image, concentrating on choreography that emphasizes her graceful spins, spirals and jumping. But she was bothered by an unexpected problem: low technical scores that judges explained were because of her tendency to switch edges on the lutz.

Lipinski’s coach, Richard Callaghan, said he sees the difference in her lutz - and that the judges must, too. The marks show “respect for her ability, and her age,” Callaghan said.

In the men’s competition, world champion Elvis Stojko of Canada fell on his quad, and was beaten by unflappable Ilia Kulik of Russia. After landing with both hands to the ice on his quad toe attempt, Kulik hit eight clean triples and earned five 5.9s for presentation.

American Todd Eldredge finished third.

“It’s the best I’ve skated so far this year,” Eldredge said.