
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, October 22, 1993                   TAG: 9310220203
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: DALLAS                                LENGTH: Short

BOITANO SHAKY IN RETURN TO ICE

As far as he's come already, Brian Boitano's performance Thursday night in Skate America made it clear he has a long way to go.

Boitano certainly knows that and isn't being misled by finishing first in the technical program of the first significant international event of the figure skating season.

The 1988 Olympic champion, who had his Olympic eligibility reinstated to pursue another gold medal at Lillehammer, Norway, in February, was good enough. But he wasn't Olympian.

Still, Boitano's sharp spins and strong triple axel-double toe loop combination gave him first place with five of the seven judges. It didn't matter much that the four-time U.S. champion stepped out of his triple lutz or that he had a shaky landing on his double axel.

Alexei Urmanov of Russia, a bronze medalist in this year's world championships, was second in the technical program.

by CNB