Skating for the Top

What does an athlete do after he has done his best and it wasn't good enough to win? If he's Elvis Stojko, he tries to do it again and that's what the 20-year-old skater from Richmond Hill, Ont., will attempt next week as he resumes his rivalry with fellow Canadian Kurt Browning at the world figure skating championships in Prague. CBC will offer nightly prime-time coverage of events beginning Tuesday and continuing through the parade of champions on Sunday, March 14.

Browning, a three-time world champion from Caroline, Alta., edged Stojko for the gold medal at the Canadian championships last month in Hamilton but Stojko was far from disappointed with his effort.

The 1-2 finish gives Canada its greatest depth ever in the men's singles event on the world level and nobody will be surprised if the two Canadians occupy the top two spots on the podium in Prague. Both skaters have shown they can compete at that level with Browning winning the world title in 1989, 1990 and 1991 before a back injury halted his run last year. After a disappointing Albertville Olympics, he finished second in the world championships in Oakland, Calif., with Stojko in third place. The winner, Viktor Petrenko, has become a professional and that means the Canadians are the top-ranked skaters going into the world championships.

The good news for Canada is the parade to the podium may not end with the men. Lloyd Eisler and Isabelle Brasseur are back for another shot at the pairs gold. They were third at the Albertville Olympics and second at last year's world championships.

They will again be among the favorites and again they will have to contend with a pair from St. Petersburg, Russia. Last year's Olympic champions, Natasha Mishkutienok and Artur Dmitriev, have retired but Russia has a seemingly endless string of pairs and dance teams. This time around, the Canadians will have to beat Marina Eltsova and Andrei Bushkov. They are coached by Igor Moskvin whose wife, Tamara, trained Mishkutienok and Dmitriev. Pairs trained by the Moskvins have won seven of the last 10 world championships.

And Josee Chouinard of Laval, Que., will be looking to move up in the women's singles after regaining her Canadian title in Hamilton. Chouinard placed fifth at the Olympics last year and she won't have to worry about defending champion Kristi Yamaguchi, who has turned pro.

The only event in which Canada won't be searching for a medal is the dance competition. We have placed a team in the top 10 in recent years but the field is more crowded than ever following the breakup of the Soviet Union. In past years, the Soviets were limited to three teams but this year there are five dance pairs representing Russia, the Ukraine and Belarus.