April 2, 2000 1:38 PM AP

By COLLEEN BARRY

Associated Press Writer

NICE, France (AP) Michelle Kwan is figure skating's world champion of even years: 1996, 1998, 2000. And each time, she's been at a distinctly new stage in her development.

She was only 15 when she won her first world title, prompting talk that the younger jumping bean skaters risked robbing the sport of its grace. When she won at 17, she had made the transition through adolescence, retaining her athleticism while projecting new maturity.

Her most recent title - and in her words the most satisfying - came Saturday. Kwan admits having had trouble adjusting to college, and not skating as much as she would have liked in the fall.

But she buckled down over the winter, adding tougher jumps. Kwan's short and long programs were the most technically difficult of her career - and she needed nothing less to advance from third in the short program to win the title.

"I never felt like that! I never felt as fast," Kwan said coming off the ice.

Not so long ago, a female skater's championship season seemed as brief and fragile as a butterfly's life span.

The impression was enhanced by Tara Lipinski's rapid rise to the world title and Olympic gold at 15, followed immediately by her dash to the more lucrative and less demanding world of show skating.

But Kwan and the Russians who shared the podium with her Saturday night, silver medalist Irina Slutskaya and bronze medalist Maria Butyrskaya, are bringing longevity to the sport and challenging notions about women and figure skating.

"I don't think age has anything to do with it," said veteran coach Richard Callaghan, who trained Lipinski through her titles. "It's your mind and how you decide to keep your body."

Slutskaya, 21, dropped from international view entirely last year after failing to place at the Russian nationals and losing her chance to compete at the Europeans or worlds. She put on weight and appeared to have slipped from the elite ranks for good.

But Slutskaya came back strong and slimmer this year, winning the Russian title, then the Europeans. She even raised the ante in the women's jumps when she beat Kwan at the Grand Prix final in January with a triple lutz-triple loop combination and a 6.0 for technical merit.

And at 27, Butyrskaya once would have seemed impossibly old. But she won the title in 1999, the oldest woman to be a world champion.

Perhaps the most artistic and expressive skater in the sport, demonstrated in her softly skated short program, Butyrskaya has nonetheless often folded under pressure, missing medals that seemed a sure thing.

Still, she also has the experience to know she can overcome disappointing results, like falling to third in Saturday's free program and failing to defend her title. Butyrskaya is in it for the long haul: Coach Yelena Tchaikovskaya said she intends to compete at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City - when she'll be 29.

Longevity, of course, brings problems. Kwan admits that besides having to balance skating with college, motivation is difficult. Still just 19, she's already skated in seven world championships.

"After a while, it seems they all blend together. You have to motivate yourself, and take them all as separate entities and not let them blend together," Kwan said. "I wish I knew what sort of motivation I got from nationals to here. I wish I could bottle it up and open it for later."

It's an important example for younger skaters like Sarah Hughes, who at just 14 competed in her second worlds, finishing fifth.

"Last year I was happy to be at worlds. I wasn't thinking of placement," Hughes said. "This year there is a little more media attention focused on us. We're the same team returning, so it wasn't a fluke."

Hughes trains 2½ hours six days a week and studies 1½ to 2 hours each morning, and some in the evenings.

While limiting Hughes' time on tours, coach Robin Wagner said sanctioned open competitions with professional skaters help young skaters like Hughes. With less emphasis on jumping, Hughes can work on her interpretation and learn good training habits and techniques by skating with older pros.

"It's been hard because I'm in high school now," said Hughes, who plays the violin in the school orchestra. "There's much more work. I have to plan my time more."

The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without prior written authority of The Associated Press.