Lipinski Spins Into Lead As Kwan Falters On Jump

Michelle Kwan’s step out of a jump in the World Figure Skating Championships on Friday was a small mistake big enough to give U.S. champion Tara Lipinski a clear run at becoming the youngest world champion.

Lipinski, 14, leads going into today’s finals after a clean short program that packed in spins and spirals before the first leap, choreography meant to show she had grown up since her 15th-place finish last year.

Kwan’s stumble dropped the 1996 world champion to fourth, behind Vanessa Gusmeroli of France and Maria Butyrskaya of Russia.

Even after winning the U.S. title last month, then winning an international competition at Hamilton, Ontario, Lipinski’s mind was on last year’s disastrous short program that included two falls and a 23rd-place finish that just got her into the finals.

“It felt great being able to do a clean short this year,” Lipinski said. “It gave me a lot of confidence.”

The 4-foot-8 jumping sensation barely got off the ice on the triple flip in the short program, pulling it off with rapid rotation that appeared to make some of the judges’ question the landing. For once, her technical marks were not unassailable, including two 5.6s.

Those kind of marks could hurt when the emphasis shifts in favor of presentation in the long program today.

Kwan’s grace was evident from her opening spiral arcing over half the rink’s surface. But as in the U.S. nationals and at Hamilton, where she was beaten by Lipinski, the jumps were her undoing.

Kwan, 16, stepped out of the opening lutz, turned, and recovered to hit a double toe combination. But it was too late to save the marks.

“It makes me so mad,” Kwan said, pushing out the last word. “It’s just one thing - out of so many - that I missed but it’s the one that counts the most.”

This is the third straight competition in which Kwan’s technical performance was shaky, and the stumble, unforgivable in the technical short program, was beyond her comprehension.

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Russia’s Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov won their fourth straight dance title Friday night, capturing the free dance ahead of countrymen Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsyannikov and Canada’s Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz.

A Norwalk, Conn. charity will refund more than $9,000 to disappointed skating fans who felt they didn’t get their money’s worth during a recent appearance by Oksana Baiul.

Officials at the Family and Children’s Agency said Friday about 700 fans who were at last weekend’s “Champions on Ice” benefit in Stamford have demanded refunds because Baiul did not perform.

Baiul skated once around the rink and then was ushered off to sign autographs. Baiul also didn’t perform in the finale with other skaters.