Soviet Couple Wins Third Title in Ice Dancing

Soviet ice dancers Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin skated a nearly flawless free dance Friday night to win their third straight gold medal in the World figure skating championships.

Skating to music from “Cabaret,” Bestemianova and Bukin enchanted the Riverfront Coliseum crowd of 14,304 with their theatrics, including some spectacular footwork by Bestemianova. They also impressed the judges, who awarded the couple six perfect 6.0 scores for artistic impression.

That was more than enough to hold off the elegant Soviet couple of Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, who won their third consecutive World silver medal.

Canadians Tracy Wilson and Robert McCall took the bronze medal. U.S. champions Suzanne Semanick and Scott Gregory finished fifth.