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Lowering the curtain: Last hurrah for Eldredge
By Jenifer K. Nii
Deseret News Olympic specialist
This is the beginning of the end for Todd Eldredge.
The six-time American men's figure skating champion has said the Salt Lake Olympics will be his last, lowering the curtain on what has been an extraordinary competitive career: six national titles, six world medals, a fourth-place showing at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and countless international titles.
At today's short program, Eldredge will begin the final leg of his competitive journey. And though many speculate his best hope is for a bronze medal, Eldredge just smiles.
"Well, the Super Bowl was a good situation where anything can happen," he said. "The St. Louis Rams were 14-point favorites and the Patriots won it."
Alexei Yagudin and Evgeny Plushenko, the Rams of figure skating, are expected to lead the hunt for Olympic gold. Both Russians have an enviable arsenal of jumps and awe-inspiring footwork. But, at a time of underdogs and unsung heroes, Eldredge is hoping to take a page from the Patriots' book.
"You can never count out anybody," he said. Motioning to his teammates Timothy Goebel and Michael Weiss, Eldredge said, "The three of us have done well on the international and world scene. On any given day, we have the goods to go out and beat those guys."
Eldredge's coach, Richard Callaghan, said he doesn't mind relinquishing the spotlight to the Russians.
"I've coached for 30 years, and when two guys are the favorites, my past experience is that someone else always comes in and kind of ruins what is supposed to happen," he said. "I'm really happy that the Russians are the favorites so our guys can just do their work."
Eldredge said his motivation — which has kept the 30-year-old in training while many of his peers have long since transitioned to the professional ranks — has little to do with scorecards or medals.
"At my first (Olympics), I had a back injury," he recalled. "But just being there, it was a lifelong goal. It was overwhelming and great. In Nagano, I put a lot of pressure on myself. But at this one, I don't really look at a medal any more. I look at having a good experience. It's something I haven't done."
And while the same words from any other skater might be loaded with winks and nods, one suspects Eldredge might just be playing it straight.
"I've had a fantastic career until now, and I'll continue to have a great career after this is over," he said. "Just the training and the wear and tear on my body — physically and mentally — it's draining. I've done a lot of great things in 'amateur' skating. I'm ready to move on and do other things."
The men's short program competition is set for tonight at the Salt Lake Ice Center.
- Skaters to watch: along with Plushenko, Yagudin and the American team, keep an eye on Elvis Stojko of Canada, Russian Alexander Abt and Takeshi Honda of Japan.
E-MAIL: jnii@desnews.com
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February 12, 2002
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