Figure Skating
From Staff and Wire Reports
Christopher Bowman of the United States overcame Petra Barna of Czechoslovakia in the final free skate to win the gold medal in the men’s competition at Skate America International Saturday night at the Oakland Coliseum.
The reigning U.S. champion, Todd Eldredge, finished third after faltering on two jumps. Another American, Michael Chack, rose from sixth after the original program to a fourth-place finish with a strong free-skate performance.
Tonya Harding of Portland received a standing ovation with an electrifying performance in the women’s competition earlier Saturday and took the gold medal from reigning world champion Kristi Yamaguchi of nearby Fremont.