Defending world champion Evgeni Plushenko, bothered by a groin injury and other ailments, took an unspecified injection before the short program at the World Figure Skating Championships in Moscow with the hope of lessening the pain that has troubled him this season and kept his practice at a minimum. Instead, he dropped from second place to third behind Switzerland's Stephane Lambiel and France's Brian Joubert. American newcomer Evan Lysacek finished fifth.
U.S. champion Johnny Weir, on the losing end of Monday's scoring error in the International Skating Union's new scoring system, was supposed to skate among the top six in the last group of the short program. But he was knocked out of that group when the score of China's Li Chengjiang was raised. Weir said the status change wasn't a factor during his disappointing program that included a fall on a triple axel and left him in seventh place.
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_____ 2004 Summer Olympics _____
• Look back at the Athens Games, highlighted by Michael Phelps's eight medals and marked by unfounded worries over terrorism.
• Photos
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The men's final free skate will be held tomorrow.
Tatiana Totmianina and MaximMarinin, the defending champions from Russia, held the pairs lead after the short program, followed by compatriots Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov and former world champions Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China.
World champions Tatiana Navka and Roman Kosotomarov held the lead in ice dancing after the compulsory portion of the competition. Americans Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto were next, followed by Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov of Ukraine.
• SOCCER: Christie Welsh scored the only goal and the U.S. women's team won its third straight Algarve Cup title, edging Germany, 1-0, in Faro, Portugal.
Welsh gathered a pass from Aly Wagner and hit a low drive into the net in the 23rd minute for her fifth goal of the tournament.
France beat Sweden, 3-2, for third place. . . .
A third-division player arrested in Germany's match-fixing scandal has admitted trying to bribe a goalkeeper to throw a game, his lawyer said.
The player, Chemnitz's Steffen Karl, was released late Monday after three days in custody. During interrogation, Karl told Berlin authorities investigating the scandal that he offered between $20,000 and $26,800 to goalkeeper Georg Koch, who was then playing for second-division Cottbus, lawyer Andreas Bartholome said. Koch turned down the bribe and did not play in the match because of an injury.
• COURTS: Former Oakland Athletics star Vida Blue was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence following a minor traffic accident in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Blue, the 1971 American League MVP and Cy Young winner, was arrested early Sunday after officers called to the accident scene noticed he was impaired, Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said.
-- From News Services
