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Associated Press 19y

Weir given five 6s for presentation

PORTLAND, Ore. -- On the outside, Johnny Weir was the
picture of composed confidence. On the inside, he was all
butterflies.
Weir overcame the jitters and defended his title Saturday at the
U.S. Figure Skating Championships with a free skate that earned him
five 6.0s for presentation.
"As much as I didn't think it would affect me, it is harder
coming in as the defending champion,'' he said. "I'm just
completely floored and thrilled and anything possible good because
I was able to harness my nerves.''
Skating to the music "Otonal,'' Weir demonstrated a full range
of perfectly executed triple jumps, although he will admittedly
need to include a quadruple jump to medal at worlds.
"A quad is a very big part of men's skating today and I do
realize I'll need one,'' he said. "I'll put it in when I'm ready
to.''
Timothy Goebel, a fan favorite after his emotionally charged
short program, finished second and Evan Lysacek was third.
Weir landed all of his jumps with lightness and ease. His scores
ranged from 5.8s and 5.9s for technical prowess, as well as the
five perfect scores for artistry.
It was the most perfect scores at nationals among the men since
Brian Boitano had eight 6.0s for artistry in 1988. Weir received
one 6.0 for artistry in his free skate last year at nationals.
"Sixes are great. They're very cool. But you know, as far as
the artistic side of the program, I know I have skated it better in
the past,'' he said. "If the judges wanted to give me 6.0s, that
was their choice and I'm down with that.''
Perfect scores will likely be history after nationals. The
International Skating Union has adopted a points-based marking
system and U.S. Figure Skating plans to follow suit, making this
the last major competition with the century-old 6.0 scoring system.
After his performance, the diminutive skater known for his
flamboyant costumes covered his face and triumphantly kicked at the
ice. Weir was the first repeat national champion since Michael
Weiss in 1999 and 2000.
"It was so much pressure and so difficult to wait backstage,''
Weir said. "I was thinking of how hard I trained for this and how
I didn't want it to go to waste. That's what pushed me through.''
The crowd was sparse for the men's free skate competition after
an early morning ice storm paralyzed Portland. Nearly all the major
highways and many bridges in the metro area were closed at times
because of hazardous conditions or accidents.
Goebel was deliberate and reserved for his free skate to an
orchestral arrangement of Queen songs, but showed vast improvement
in his artistry and edge quality from previous years.
The 2002 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time world silver
medalist appeared to land a quadruple toe loop jump in a
combination, but replays showed he two-footed it. None of the men
successfully landed a quadruple jump in the free skate.
Goebel also stepped out of his first triple axel and turned
between a triple axel-double toe combination.
"In the past, once the jumps went, the program went as well. I
think that was a big step for me,'' he said.
Goebel burst into tears after his first-place short program
Thursday night, the day after the mother of close friend and
two-time U.S. bronze medalist Angela Nikodinov was killed in a car
accident on the way to the competition.
Nikodinov withdrew from the event, but watched the men's free
skate Saturday from a private suite after making a brief statement
thanking the skating community and the fans for their support.
"She's really had a rough week, but I know she's comforted by
the fact that so many people care so much for her and are
comforting her,'' Goebel said.
Lysacek won his first medal at nationals as a senior. He won the
U.S. junior title in 2000, and was second at the junior world
championships the last two years.
Weir, Goebel and Lysacek will represent the United States at the
world championships in Moscow this March.
Weiss, the three-time national champion and two-time world
bronze medalist, finished fifth. He collided with Goebel during
warmups and lay on the ice for several moments, but wasn't hurt.

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