Slutskaya, almost too tired to stand up, wins world championship

The remarkable Irina Slutskaya has won her second gold medal at the women's world figure skating championships in Moscow. Slutskaya, who won the gold in 2002, after being edged out repeatedly by Michelle Kwan, found her world crashing around her in 2003, when she was diagnosed with vasculitis, which included an inflammation of her heart lining. Her legs were swollen and she felt too sick to do much of anything, let alone skate. Slutskaya was hospitalized five times for the condition, and was succcessfully treated for it. She had already skipped the 2003 world championships, however, because her mother was ill with kidney disease.

Slutskaya missed most of the 2004 season, and placed ninth in the world championsbips. And the vasculitis cure proved to be almost as devastating as the disease; the medicine that Slutskaya takes causes extreme fatigue. When she began training again, she sustained a knee injury. It is nothing short of an athletic miracle that she even entered world competition this year, and she was visibly suffering from fatigue in between her performances. But she emerged with top points in the qualifying skate, the short program, and the free skate. Slutskaya also won every other competition she entered this year, including the European championship.

Beautifully graceful but inconsistent American Sasha Cohen won the silver medal, duplicating her 2004 performance at the world competition. The bronze went to Italian skater Carolina Kostner. Sadly, Kwan--who has not been competing much lately--placed fourth. This was the first time she has not won a medal since 1996. 2004 world champion Shizuka Arakawa placed ninth.

Slutskaya, whose win occurred in her home country, said "I hope I will serve as a good role model to people who feel bad and have no faith in themselves.''

She will indeed.