FIGURE SKATING : Eldredge Reclaims Men’s Title

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Scott Davis and Todd Eldredge matched each other triple axel for powerful triple axel Saturday, drawing squeals from the capacity crowd at the Providence Civic Center.

Each time one leaped and landed with a loud crunch of blade on ice, he sent a clear message. Take that. Try and top THAT.

Too bad their dazzling display occurred during warm-ups for the final phase of the U.S. men’s figure skating championships, not in the 4 1/2-minute free skate programs.

“They both should have brought it out to the competition,” Eldredge’s coach, Richard Callaghan, said of their rehearsal one-upmanship.

Because both left their best efforts in practice, Saturday’s drama arose by default. Although Davis, the two-time defending champion, skated last--and knew Eldredge had done a flawed program that left room for the judges to give him higher marks--he botched the landings of three jumps in an uninspired performance, allowing Eldredge, who was second after the short program, to win the free skate and become the first U.S. man to regain his title after a three-year absence from the medal stand.

Said Eldredge, the 1990 and ’91 champion: “I can’t think of anything I’ve wanted as much as this.”

Aren Nielsen, fifth after the short program, climbed to third with a competent but bland long program. The U.S. can send two men to the world championships next month in Birmingham, England.

The wait seemed interminable to Eldredge, but it wasn’t the longest a U.S. men’s titlist has gone between victories. That record belongs to Nathaniel Niles, who won in 1918 and didn’t repeat until 1925. Niles finished second four times during that span, but Eldredge hadn’t made it to the medal stand since winning at Minneapolis in 1991. He had to withdraw from the 1992 competition because of a back injury, finished sixth in 1993 and was a flu-weakened fourth last year.

Eldredge has been absent from the world championships for so long--he was seventh in 1992--he must go through a qualifying round to reach the finals. But that didn’t concern him Saturday.

“To tell you the truth, this feels good,” he said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been up on the podium. . . . My first title was really kind of a fluke. Unexpected. The second was pretty close to this one, but I have to say this means the most to me because of the hard years I’ve had since I won.”

Eldredge, 23, completed all eight triple jumps Saturday. However, he reduced the difficulty of his first jump from a triple-triple combination to a triple-double, and he touched the ice with both hands to save the landing on his third jump, a triple lutz.

Eldredge’s ability to rebound from those mistakes proved decisive. Davis, however, became tentative after an uncertain landing on his third jump, a triple loop.