GOTHENBURG, Sweden (AFP) - Jeffrey Buttle put Canada top of the medals table on the final day of the world figure skating championships here on Saturday by claiming his first world gold.
The 25-year-old led all the way to take gold ahead of defending champion Brian Joubert of France with American Johnny Weir taking bronze after the free skate final.
Canada were the most successful nation of the competition going home with three medals after Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir took ice dancing silver and pairs skaters Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison won bronze.
Joubert rallied after trailing in sixth after the short prgramme, but despite an inspired performance to Metallica and O Verona from the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack he had to settle for his third world silver after 2004 and 2006.
Buttle performed flawlessly to the music from the film Ararat and despite not attempting a quadruple jump outclassed his rivals with 245.17 points overall. Joubert scored 231.22 and Weir 221.84.
Three jump combinations - a triple Axel-double toeloop-double loop; a triple Flip-triple toeloop and a triple Lutz-double toeloop - reaped maximum points for the skater from Ontario.
He achieved a technical score of 84.29 and 78.78 for artistic components giving his a personal best of 163.07 in the free skate which is nearly ten points better than his previous best at the 2006 Olympics when he won bronze.
"I fully deserved this victory," said Buttle. "I did two clean programmes with strong technical elements. I worked very hard on everything - the jumps, the pirouettes, the transitions. Skating is about the full package, not just the jumps."
Joubert had thought that he had done enough to seal success as he clenched his fists in delight and kissed the ice at the Scandinavium rink after his performance.
But despite being the only skater on the podium to succeed a quadruple toeloop, the seven triples including two in combination were not enough.
"I was disappointed because Jeffrey had a perfect programme but he didn't do a quad," said Joubert. "The quadruple jumps need to be better reward in the future."
"From the training sessions I wouldn't have bet on Buttle for the title," said Joubert, whose season had been hampered by health problems.
"But that's competition. I'm delighted for him. It's the greatest being world champion he's going to have a good year."
Weir downgraded his quadruple toeloop at the beginning of his programme Love in war by Yoav Goren, but also landed seven triple jumps during his highly-artistic routine.
Japan's Daisuke Takahashi, among the favourites after a stellar season and taking silver last year, finished off the podium in fourth, ahead of two-time winner Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland.
The 22-year-old Takahashi fell twice during his programme to Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, achieving just the sixth-highest score in the free skate after being third in short programme.
Olympic silver medallist Lambiel, winner in 2005 and 2006, stumbled his way through his Flamenco routine. Buttle becomes the 11th Canadian man to hold the world title and first since three-time winner Elvis Stojko in 1997.
