Boitano Positioned to Win U.S. Figure Skating Title

Brian Boitano led the charge for the vacant men’s title, and Jill Watson and Peter Oppegard staked a claim on the pairs crown Wednesday night at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Boitano, favored to succeed retired Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton as the new U.S. men’s champion, led after Wednesday night’s compulsory figures.

The 21-year-old from Sunnyvale, Calif., was runnerup to Hamilton the past two years in national competition.

Watson and Oppegard, skating for the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club, won the short program and need only win tonight’s final event to claim the title held for the past four years by Kitty and Peter Carruthers.

The brother-sister silver medalists at the Sarajevo Olympics, retired shortly after the Winter Games.