Go Figure: Lipinski Best In World Fourteen-Year-Old American Becomes Youngest Women’s World Champion

They’re not the highest. But Tara Lipinski’s jumps, the cleanest and the surest in women’s figure skating, lifted the 14-year-old into history Saturday as the youngest women’s world figure skating champion.

In just one year, skating’s jumping sensation leapt from 15th in the world to first, a feat that pushed up her Olympic dreams four years, from Salt Lake City in 2002 to Nagano, Japan, in 1998.

“I never expected it. Especially not this year,” said Lipinski, who is one month younger than Norway’s Sonja Henie was when she won the first of her 10 world titles in 1927.

“It’s a big shock. But I love it.”

Lipinski’s perfect seven triple jumps gave youth the day, and lifted athleticism another few degrees in its ascent over artistry. But not without a fight.

The 1996 world champion, Michelle Kwan, battled back from a disappointing short program with unmatched grace and maturity.

Overnight, she had vanquished the ghosts of a missed triple lutz that dropped her to fourth in the short program, and very nearly out of medal contention, nailing the jump on her first combination. She went on to hit five other triples, backing away from only one, an intended triple lutz, near the end.

She finished first in the long program, and second overall.

France’s Vanessa Gusmeroli nearly buckled after her first jump, a shaky triple flip. She recovered and skated clean for the bronze, but without the self-assurance that split the judges’ favor between her and Lipinski in the short program.

Despite a hard fall in the short program, and another during practice, European champion Irina Slutskaya of Russia hit several high-flying jumps - including a triple loop so high she held for a split second before entering her rotation - to finish fourth.

American Nicole Bobek, burdened by the death of her coach Carlo Fassi two days ago, pulled back on nearly every jump, dropping from eighth to 13th.

Similar to the U.S. championships and at the Champions’ series at Hamilton, Ontario, the strongest rivalry was between Lipinski and Kwan, and Lipinski prevailed.

Each time, the difference was in the strategy: Lipinski did it. Kwan thought about doing it.

“I’d been a scared chicken. I didn’t attack,” Kwan said. “But I got it back together in the long program. The chicken is gone. I killed it.”

Beyond just consistency, Lipinski hits jumps no other woman attempts, like the triple loop-triple loop nailed during the long program, or no other man, like the triple lutz-triple loop that she’s been hitting in practice. Her coach, Richard Callaghan, suggests she might be ready next year to attempt a quadruple jump - a trick that has vexed Callaghan’s other star, U.S. champion and world silver medalist Todd Eldredge.

At just 4-foot-8, 75 pounds, Lipinski can still afford to disregard gravity, rotating her tiny body at a speed that compensates for any errors that would pull an even slightly larger skater down.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: ON THE MONEY Tara Lipinski has nailed the seven triples each of the last three competitions, establishing her as the sport’s most reliable jumper.