Soviet Out-Skates Champion
| Source: |
San Francisco Chronicle, Ed: Final, Sec: Sports, P. D3 |
| Date: |
March 8, 1990 |
Copyright 1990 The San Francisco Chronicle
Halifax, Nova Scotia -
Soviet Viktor Petrenko rocked like Elvis, shimmied like Little Richard and
out-skated Canada's defending world champion Kurt Browning yesterday to
forge a second-round lead in the World Figure Skating Championships.
Petrenko's thoroughly entertaining and authentically Western-style
original program, skated to a medley of American blues and rock-and-roll
tunes, seemed to catch both judges and a Halifax Metro Centre audience
off-guard.
So did his obvious technical superiority -- but not because his
abilities had been underrated. Petrenko, 20, a two-time world and Olympic
bronze medalist, has been considered one of the world's top skaters since
he placed fifth in the world championships in 1986.
What left both the judges and the crowd in a quandary was the timing of
Petrenko's program. It came immediately after Browning earned a standing
ovation, one perfect 6.0 score and an array of 5.8s and 5.9s for a bluesy,
jazzy program to Joe Jackson songs.
Browning's scores were warranted. He did two clean triple Axels, one of
them in combination with a double jump, and skated and spinned with his
usual speed and precision.
He was impressive, but Petrenko was simply better. The Soviet also did
two triple Axels, but combined one of his with a triple toe loop. The
Soviet also was more expressive in his rock choreography. He got two 6.0s,
one 5.8 and the rest 5.9s. Either skater can win the gold medal by winning
today's free-skating finale.
Earlier, an obviously nervous defending world champion Midori Ito of
Japan bobbled herself into a hole that leaves the women's title Jill
Trenary's for the taking.
Trenary, three-time U.S. champ and world bronze medalist last year, moved
smoothly to first place in what was the final compulsory-school-figures
competition in world-championships history. Ito made a mess on the second
of two mandatory variations of the figure eight and finished 10th in the
first-round standings. Kristi Yamaguchi of Fremont also struggled with one
of her figures and finished ninth.
In pairs competition last night, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov of
the Soviet Union won their fourth title in five years despite a poor
performance. Canadians Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler surged from
fourth to win the silver medal. The bronze went to Soviets Natalia
Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev.
Yamaguchi and San Jose's Rudi Galindo, two-time American champions, were
fifth, the same as last year.
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