March 13, 2000 8:09 PM AP

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) Angela Nikodinov was selected Monday to replace Sasha Cohen on the U.S. team for the World Figure Skating Championships.

Cohen finished second at the national championships, but is too young to participate at worlds. She could have qualified for that event in Helsinki on March 26-April 2 if she had won a medal at last weekend's World Junior Championships.

But Cohen finished sixth.

The U.S. Figure Skating Association officially awarded Cohen's spot to Nikodinov, the fourth-place finisher at nationals. Nikodinov was 12th in the 1999 world event.

Also on the U.S. team are Michelle Kwan and Sarah Hughes. Oddly, Hughes is younger than Cohen, but her previous results in world junior competition made her eligible for the senior competition in Nice.

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