Nice, France-There was a commencement feel to Sarah Hughes' exit from the World Championships last night, a sort of grab-the-diploma, shed-the-robeandhead-off-into-real- life sense. Hughes won't be 15 years old for another month. She won't finish her freshman year at Great Neck North High School for another six weeks after that. But as of the women's long program final, Hughes established her credentials as an elite international figure skater.
She survived a rumble that had Nice's Palais des Expositions feeling like something in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, the building emitting sparks and dust and getting bent all out of shape. Not only were the sport's three most accomplished female athletes - Michelle Kwan, Irina Slutskaya and Maria Butyrskaya-figuratively pounding on each other, but France's Vanessa Gusmeroli was stoking the passions of the mostly French crowd of 9,300.
Amid all that, Hughes finished fifth, a "phenomenal" move into the big time, according to her coach, Robin Wagner. Of the 45 skaters in the women's competition here, Hughes was the youngest. In fact, of the 205 athletes (women's, men's, pairs and ice dance) at the championships, Hughes was the youngest. Wagner also noted that all four women who finished ahead of Hughes had won medals in previous World Championships: third-time winner (and twice runner-up) Kwan, 19; second-place Slutskaya, 21 (with her second silver to go with a bronze); third-place Butyrskaya, 27 (last year's champ and third the year before); and fourth-place Gusmeroli, 21 (who was third three years ago).
Thus is it safe to assume that Hughes has arrived? "Yes, I feel like I have," she said. "I wasn't intimidated by the others. I've always wanted to skate against the best. I was proud of myself. A lot of these women have been here many, many times before, and it's only my second time at the worlds. And to have fifth is more than I can ask for. My goal was to move up from last year, and I moved up two spots, so I'm very happy." Even more evidence of Hughes' new status: Although she declared again that "I can't be disappointed" with fifth, she also let slip: "When I came here, I wanted to win a medal." No surprise to Wagner. "She's a competitor," her coach said. "I know there's one part of her saying, 'Wow, I was great, I skated three rounds really well' and another part saying, 'But I could've done the triple toe-triple-toe better." It could be argued that Hughes' chore, as she entered the long program in fourth place, was made more difficult by her drawing the final starting position of the 24-person competition. Among the last six, Kwan led off, followed by Gusmeroli, Hungary's Julia Sebestyen, Butyrskaya, Slutskaya and Hughes.
Not only had the wild tug-of-war over the gold medal been taken care of before Hughes stepped on the ice, but Gusmeroli, who entered the long program in fifth place behind Hughes, roused the hometown crowd with a legitimately solid show.
That meant the panel of judges wasn't able to leave much scoring room for Hughes.
The fact that Hughes was the slightest bit unsteady on the landing of her first triple-triple combination jump -a triple Salchow followed by a triple loop-and later had to use an extra foot and a hand to steady the ending of her triple toe-triple loop, took the pressure off the judges in slightly favoring Gusmeroli.
"But I told her," Wagner said, "I was really glad to have her put the two triple-triples out there." It is grist for the judges' mill down the road in a sport that demands young skaters earn their reputations with a combination of difficulty and artistry.
"I was pleased with how I held myself together," said Hughes, who added that she "had fun." Her parents, John and Amy, were able to enjoy a trip to the French Riviera with three of Sarah's five siblings: brothers David, 18; Matt, 16, and Taylor, 8. Were they jealous of their sister's opportunity to be on such a grand stage while they were tourists? "My brothers aren't jealous," Hughes said. "They're happy to be with me when I'm around all these women."