BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS : DAILY REPORT : CANOE / KAYAK : Slivinski Remains On Course for Gold in 500-Meter Event

Mikhail Slivinski of the Commonwealth of Independent States advanced to the final of Wednesday’s Canadian singles 500-meter canoe event and remains the solid favorite to win the gold.

Slivinski, who will race again Friday, is joined in the final by, among others, Nikolay Petkov Boukalov of Bulgaria and Imre Pulai of Hungary. Boukalov and Pulai are expected to challenge for medals, but Slivinski recorded a time of 1 minute 52.28 seconds, considerably faster than the 1:53.32 turned in by Boukalov in Wednesday’s heat.

In other qualifying results, American Norman Bellingham of Bethesda, Md., won his semifinal kayak singles 500 race, recording the best time of the day, 1:41.48 seconds, which was slightly better than those of Mikko Yrjoe Kolehmainen of Finland and Marin Gigi Popescu of Romania. Favorite Zsolt Gyulay of Hungary barely qualified for the final.

Meanwhile, Hungary and Denmark advanced to the canoe 500 doubles and remain the teams to beat in Friday’s final. The CIS entry, however, recorded the day’s fastest time.

In the kayak 500 doubles, the favored German team of Kay Bluhm and Torsten Rene Gutsche qualified first for the final. The U.S. team of Michael Harbold and Peter Newton, both of Honolulu, also qualified.

The women’s kayak 500 singles will feature favorites Josefa Idem of Italy, Rita Koban of Hungary and Birgit Schmidt of Germany. All three advanced to the final, but Sheila Conover of Newport Beach did not.

As expected in the women’s kayak 500 doubles, Germany’s team of Ramona Portwich and Anke Von Seck turned in the fastest qualifying time.

FENCING

Substitute Leads Germany Past Cuba in Team Foil Final

Last-minute substitute Uli Schreck carried Germany to the biggest upset of the Olympic fencing tournament--a comeback victory over Cuba in the men’s team foil final.

That gave the German men their first team foil gold since 1976 and was spectacular revenge for Cuba’s victory over them in last year’s World Championships. It also made up for German silvers in the past two Olympics.

The Cubans, lightning-quick in their attacks, looked as if they were going to make swift work of the German team, building a 7-3 lead. But the German foursome--Ingo Weissenborn, Alexander Koch, Udo Wagner and Thorsten Weidner--suddenly transformed their game. A series of aggressive performances allowed them to climb back to 8-6, with the Cubans still needing just one victory in the last two sets.

The Germans then summoned Schreck, 30, one of the most experienced members of their team, to finish it.

The last German men’s gold in the event was won by the West German team at the 1976 Montreal Games. They were held to silver by Italy in 1984 and the Soviet Union in 1988.

In other news, five fencers from the CIS who threatened a boycott because they are still owed cash bonuses, decided to compete after being told they will get the money next week.

The five fencers and a coach said Tuesday they were owed about $10,000 in bonuses for winning the team epee event at June’s World Championships.

FIELD HOCKEY

Australian Men Play Germany in Final Seeking First Gold

Australia has a chance to win its first Olympic championship in men’s field hockey when it meets Germany in Saturday’s gold-medal game. After losing in the semifinals in the past two Olympics, Australia beat the Netherlands, 3-2.

Germany, the silver medalist in 1984 and 1988, beat Pakistan, 2-1. The last time Germany won a gold medal in this event was at Munich in the 1972 Olympics. The Netherlands will play Pakistan for the bronze medal.

Defending champion Britain beat New Zealand, 3-2, in the fifth-place game and Spain defeated India for seventh, 2-0.

In the women’s competition Friday, Spain will play Germany for the gold medal and Britain and South Korea will play for the bronze.

MEDALISTS

FENCING

(Men--Team Foil)

GOLD: Germany

SILVER: Cuba

BRONZE: Poland

MEN’S PELOTA--Demonstration sport

(Hand Doubles)

GOLD: Mexico

SILVER: Spain

BRONZE: France

(Palette Rubber)

GOLD: Argentina

SILVER: France

BRONZE: Spain

(Palette)

GOLD: Spain

SILVER: Mexico

BRONZE: Argentina

(Short Palette)

GOLD: Spain

SILVER: Mexico

BRONZE: Cuba

(Hand Singles)

GOLD: Spain

SILVER: France

BRONZE: Cuba