DALLAS -- A national championship was hanging in the air, if only Johnny Weir or Matt Savoie could leap up and grab it.

Instead, they barely jumped off the ice, winding up not only minus medals, but injured and off the U.S. team that's headed for the world championships.

Weir and Savoie, two of the rising stars of American skating, stood second and third heading into Saturday's free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Both self-destructed, with Weir not even finishing his program.

Weir's troubles began a mere 23 seconds into his 4½-minute routine.

"I got too close to the boards, my blade got stuck between the ice and the wall, and I fell,'' said Weir, 18, of Newark, Del. "I twisted my back when I hit the boards, just wrenched it kind of funny. I knew I should go over and see that I should do. It was hurting me.''

The event referee, Kathleen Flaherty, allowed Weir to start again from the point of his mishap. But things didn't get any brighter for the 2001 World Junior champion.

Weir tried three more jumps before splattering on a triple axel, falling on his stomach, then rolling to his side while the music from "Dr. Zhivago'' flowed on.

Seconds later, he slowly got up, then skated over to Flaherty and withdrew.

"My kneecap moved out of place, then moved back in,'' he said, noting that it was strained and sore but not badly injured. "Hopefully I'll be better in a few days.''

He won't be preparing for his first trip to the senior worlds, which are in Washington in March. Even more distressing, though, was not having a chance to collect a medal at nationals and stamp himself among the elite of American men's skating.

"I really believed I could do so well, and then to have to do that ...,'' Weir said. "I was skating great when I came in, so it's very disappointing.

"I learned to believe in myself more, and to also know my limits.''

With Weir out of the way, Savoie had a clear path to a medal and his second straight trip to worlds. The 22-year-old college graduate from Peoria, Ill., was 12th at last year's worlds as a replacement for Todd Eldredge.

Savoie, skating on a gimpy knee, couldn't soar through the opening. Rather, he cut short nearly every jump, and by the time a stirrup came loose on his pants deep into his program, Savoie was out of contention.

"It really wasn't going well at that point,'' he said of being ordered by the referee to stop and fix the stirrup. "I only had done one or two triples. I should have done a lot more by then.''

Savoie has tendinosis, a severe form of tendinitis, in his left knee and took injections to skate in the short and long programs.

"My knee was completely numb,'' he acknowledged. "I practiced only one time on Thursday before the short, and one time today. I don't think that was enough for me to feel comfortable in a high-pressure event like nationals.''

Savoie wound up sixth in the free skate, and fifth overall.

Michael Weiss won his third national title, rallying from fourth place.