Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 24, 1993 TAG: 9310240161
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: DALLAS LENGTH: Medium
The beneficiary was 1992 Olympic champion Viktor Petrenko of Ukraine, who won the free skate and the gold medal Saturday at the first major international ice skating event of the season.
Petrenko touched a hand down on one triple jump, but the rest of his routine was impressive enough to give him the nod with four of the seven judges. When Boitano popped a triple axel into a single, it provided enough margin for Petrenko to win.
"Yeah, that was it," Boitano said of the difference in the performances. "But I also didn't put in two triple-triple combinations I'm planning for nationals. That could make a difference."
Oksana Bayul, the reigning women's world champion, gave Ukraine a sweep of the singles titles, with great help from American Tonya Harding's equipment problem.
Bayul, 15, was the survivor in a free skate marked by weak performances from nearly the entire field. Bayul, making her U.S. debut, fell twice on triple jumps and cut another to a double when she got too close to the side wall. But her showmanship was superb.
Harding, winner of the technical program on Friday, followed. She was doing well, hitting three triple jumps, when she suddenly stopped performing about 3 minutes into her routine. The 1991 U.S. champion, who has had nothing but problems on and off the ice since, skated to the judges and displayed a loose skate on her right foot.
She was allowed to repair it - at one point, Harding grabbed a screwdriver to fix it - and then continue. But she was flat after that, falling on a double axel and cutting a triple salchow to a double.
Harding, of Portland, Ore., left the ice in tears but received a standing ovation. She wound up third.
Surya Bonaly of France somehow grabbed second place, even though she messed up four jumps, including a quadruple salchow that opened her routine.
The crowd also gave Boitano a standing ovation at the end of his program, then booed when the scoreboard showed Petrenko as the winner, followed by Boitano, Alexei Urmanov of Russia and 1990-91 U.S. champion Todd Eldredge.
"I think at first I thought I had won," Boitano said. "I asked someone and they said I was second. Of course, there's disappointment, but whether or not I win this competition has nothing to do with nationals or, hopefully, the Olympics if I make it.
"For this moment, for the program I've been practicing, I think I had a really good night."
Petrenko had a rare one: a victory over Boitano. It was only the second time in 12 career meetings since 1984 that Petrenko has beaten Boitano, the 1988 Olympic winner. Those victories have come in their last two meetings.
"I believe it is just the first step in a long, hard year," Petrenko said. "I wasn't perfect. I made a few mistakes. That means I have something to work on."
Both champions were marking their returns from the professional ranks to Olympic eligibility. It's only October, and the promise of a rematch at February's Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway - with Canadian stars Kurt Browning and Elvis Stojko also on hand - is enticing.
"I was better tonight in my opinion" than at Albertville," Petrenko said. "That means a year in professionals helped me."
Petrenko, 24, hit six triple jumps cleanly, but his footwork was nothing special. It wasn't an Olympian performance, but it didn't need to be so early in the season.
The French couple of Sophie Moniotte and Pascal Lavanchy won the ice dance, sweeping all three disciplines. Ranked fifth in the world, Moniotte-Lavanchy impressed the judges with their ballroom routine Saturday.
Second place went to Katerina Mrazova and Martin Simecek of the Czech Republic, followed by American Renee Roca and her Russian partner, Gorsha Sur, who defected in 1990 and is seeking U.S. citizenship. Roca-Sur received good marks despite falling midway through the free dance.
Keywords:
FIGURE SKATING
by CNB