U.S. Chances for Gold Appear Dim as Skaters Prepare for Paris Meet

Don’t expect much in the way of medals, especially gold, from the U.S. team at next month’s World Figure Skating Championships.

The star of last week’s U.S. championships, Kristi Yamaguchi, is not quite ready to crack the top three in women’s singles. Yamaguchi, the first American woman to make the worlds in two disciplines in 36 years, and partner Rudi Galindo will be shooting for the top five in pairs.

The 17-year-old Yamaguchi might have to decide on sticking to one event pretty soon if she has designs on any world titles. How she fares in singles at Paris will have a big effect on her future.

Jill Trenary, who won her second American championship on Saturday, has the best shot at world gold. But she will need a more solid long program at Paris to beat Claudia Leistner of West Germany and Midori Ito of Japan.

Carlo Fassi, who coaches Trenary, knows something about international success. He guided Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, John Curry and Robin Cousins to the top.

Joan Gruber, chairwoman of the international committee for U.S. figure skating, said the Paris-bound team is a strong one.

“We couldn’t be happier with the team as a whole,” Gruber said. “There is a breath of springtime in two divisions with Kristi Yamaguchi.

“But we also have a lot of seasoning in pairs. We have excitement and technical strength we’ve never had before.”

Veterans Kim and Wayne Seybold, who struggled through one of their worst performances in the long program but still got second, will be going to their fourth worlds.

Susan Wynne and Joseph Druar won their first U.S. title and are headed for their third worlds.

“Hopefully, we can improve our world placement,” Druar said. “Last year we were ranked No. 9, but a few couples have retired or turned pro. We’d like to get into the top five.”

The men’s contingent is not particularly strong. Brian Boitano so dominated the field for four years that Christopher Bowman of Van Nuys, his successor, pales in comparison.

Bowman is a strong, showy skater, however, and if he can upgrade his compulsory figures, he might push Soviets Alexander Fadeev, 1985 world champion, and Victor Petrenko, Kurt Browning of Canada, and Poland’s Gregorz Filipowski.

“I think Petrenko and Browning will be the toughest,” Bowman said.

“But, like I’ve said before, I’m going there to do my thing, not worry about the others. Let Petrenko and the other skaters do whatever they want.”