Weiss today ended questions about whether he could match the world's top skaters by landing such a jump. He pulled off a surprise quadruple toe loop in the qualifying round of the 1999 World Figure Skating Championships. With that, he became the second American to land a quad in competition.

The effort put him in second place in his qualifying group behind Russia's Evgeni Plushenko. Defending world champion Alexei Yagudin led the other group, followed by 1994 Olympic gold medalist Alexei Urmanov. All four are in position to vie for a medal in Tuesday's short program and Thursday's free skate. Because of a recent international rule change, each skater's qualifying score for the first time counts for 20 percent of his total.

That had Weiss talking animatedly after the event, mopping the perspiration from his forehead and cheeks. Weiss, 22, seemed to appreciate the long-anticipated quadruple toe loop only for the attention it may have gained from the judges. As an achievement itself, it earned only a shrug.

"Yes, I did [it]," Weiss said. "But it doesn't matter at this point."

What mattered was Weiss's placement. He received not only a vote of confidence from the judges, but also a surprising commendation from Yagudin. When Yagudin was asked if he thought the Russian trio would sweep the medals -- as it did in the recent International Skating Union Grand Prix final, in which Weiss finished fourth -- Yagudin replied that he thought two of the three Russians would win medals.

Who could win the other?

Yagudin paused for several seconds.

"I think Michael Weiss," he said.

Having watched his competitors land quadruples, Weiss abandoned plans for a conservative approach, deciding shortly before taking the ice to slip the quad into his long program. Each of the 30 qualifying skaters will skate his long program again Thursday.

"Going in, I planned on just skating well and not doing the quad," he said. "After I saw the other two hit theirs, I knew if I wanted to be up there in first or second, I had to go for it."

The quadruple jump has become a necessary element for the top male skaters. Six men landed quad toe loops today, including three skaters who skated before Weiss: China's Zhengxin Guo, Elvis Stojko and Plushenko.

Stojko, the three-time world champion from Canada, wound up third in Weiss's group after having missed most of this season with a groin injury. Japan's Takeshi Honda was in third place in the other group.

Plushenko, a 16-year-old Russian phenom who defeated Urmanov and Yagudin at the Russian national championships this year, produced a stylish program that included three shaky triple jumps. Weiss himself wobbled on one triple Axel and fell out of another attempt, but executed six clean triples and the quad.

Urmanov and Yagudin executed their programs nearly impeccably but with restraint. Neither attempted a quad. Neither needed it.

"First, second or third is crucial at this point," Weiss said. "If you're there, you are within striking distance."

Weiss's quad did little to stir the sleepy and sparse afternoon crowd of about 1,000 at Hartwall Arena, nor did it earn Weiss the distinction of being the first American to land one. Tim Goebel landed a quadruple Salchow last year, and did another today to wind up in fifth place in his qualifying group.

Just over a year ago, Weiss's representatives organized a news conference attended by Weiss, his parents, wife and coach to announce Weiss's plan to become the first male skater in the world to land a quadruple Lutz -- a harder jump than the toe loop or Salchow. Weiss never landed that jump in competition. For this season, he put the quadruple toe loop in his program.

Weiss thought he had landed his first quadruple during the 1997 national championships in Nashville. Weiss, then considered an up-and-comer, nearly grabbed the U.S. title with a quad that looked clean until a videotape review of the landing showed he improperly landed on two feet.

Today, Weiss's quadruple toe loop passed the instant replay test. The jump was not pronounced official until a review by the ISU.

After today's event, Weiss looked calm and self-assured. He said he liked the new format. The short program, which previously counted for one-third of a skater's total score, now counts for 30 percent. The long program, which used to be worth two-thirds, now counts for 50 percent.

"In order to get the best champion, it's a good way to go," Weiss said. "Through three programs, you're definitely going to come out with the best skaters on top."

Reigning world and Olympic champions Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia skated tonight to "Happy Valley" and had a pleasant time of it, taking the lead after the short program of the pairs competition. In second place was the Chinese team of Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhoa, just ahead of the Polish duo of Dorota Zagorska and Mariusz Siudek.

Former U.S. pairs champion Kyoka Ina and new partner John Zimmerman stood eighth, scoring low technical marks for a program that included a fall on a required throw jump. The sister-brother team of Danielle and Steve Hartsell was 13th entering Wednesday's deciding free skate.

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