MEN’S FIGURE SKATING : Boitano Holds Off Hamilton

Brian Boitano answered one question that had been on the minds of figure skating followers when he announced recently that he is applying to regain his eligibility in order to compete in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway.

Now, for the next question: Can anyone beat him?

No one could Wednesday night at the Sports Arena in the $330,000 Hershey’s Kisses Pro-Am, but his predecessor as Olympic champion, Scott Hamilton, came close with a dynamic freestyle program to music from the Big Bandera.

It was greatly appreciated by the crowd of 7,038, which gave him a standing ovation, the nine judges, one of whom gave him a perfect score of 6.0 for artistic impression, and even Boitano.

Waiting in the wings while his five competitors skated before him in the most important phase of the two-night competition, Boitano, in his first test since returning to the ranks of skaters eligible for the Olympics, said he was inspired by the reaction to Hamilton, who skated immediately before him.

Boitano skated to an aria, “Nessum Dorma,” which concludes with the memorable words, “I shall win.”

And he did.

Although he did not have the same rapport with the crowd as Hamilton, his program was more technically demanding, and he performed it almost flawlessly, winning first-place marks from five of the nine judges as well as the winner’s check for $40,000.

It was a solid victory for the pros over the amateurs. Paul Wylie, the 1992 Olympic silver medalist, finished third behind Boitano and Hamilton.

“I’m nowhere near ready for the Olympics, that’s for sure,” said Boitano, who must finish first or second in next January’s national championships to earn a berth on the U.S. team in Norway. “But I’m on the right track. This is a steppingstone.”

It was a more formidable one than he might have expected because of Hamilton’s performance. Not even Hamilton expected to do as well at age 34, which is 13 years older than the youngest skater in the competition, reigning national champion Scott Davis.

“I’m absolutely honest when I say that I expected to be fifth or sixth,” said Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic champion who opted against having his eligibility restored because he wants to concentrate on touring. “If I had come in fourth, that would have been great.

“But to come in second and take some judges from Boitano, that’s a huge personal victory for me.”

So was the 6.0 from one of the judges, Joan Gruber.

When he skated in the U.S. Figure Skating Assn.’s first pro-am last November at Hershey, Pa., he was marked down in the technical program because he performed an extra element, a backflip. He finished third at Hershey.

He had fun with Gruber in the technical program Tuesday night at the end of his program, when he acted as if he were going to perform a backflip and then held up at the last moment.

But he did the backflip during the freestyle program, which allows the skaters more flexibility, and Gruber awarded him with the perfect score.

“He’s the consummate entertainer,” she said.

The same might be said for Boitano as a competitor.

“He’s the ultimate competitor,” Hamilton said. “He’s about as strong and focused an athlete as I’ve seen in any sport. Everything he does is so effortless.”