Torvill and Dean Trail in European Event

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean hit a bump on their comeback road Tuesday as they trailed the reigning world champions after the opening rounds of the European Figure Skating Championships at Copenhagen, Denmark.

Maya Usova and Aleksandr Zhulin of Russia led the competition after the two compulsory dances. Torvill and Dean, a surprising third after the first dance, had to settle for a tie for second with Russia’s Oksana Gritschuk and Evgeni Platov after the second dance.

Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov of Russia, the 1988 Olympic champions, moved smoothly into the lead of the pairs event after the original program, which counts one-third of the total score. The final free skate is today.

It was the first time Torvill and Dean had been behind in an ice dance competition since 1980. Torvill and Dean will represent England in the Olympics next month.

Boxing

Heavyweight boxer Lionel Butler scored a third-round technical knockout night against former World Boxing Assn. champion James (Bonecrusher) Smith at Omaha. Butler (20-10-1), ranked No. 4 by the World Boxing Council, knocked Smith (39-13-1) down with a left hook to the body in the scheduled 10-round bout.

Michael Spinks, the only light-heavyweight champion to win a world heavyweight title, and 13 others were voted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

The 1994 inductees also include Jack Sharkey, the oldest living former heavyweight champion; longtime promoter Chris Dundee, who will join his brother Angelo in the Hall; and trainer Eddie Futch.

Skiing

Norway won its third ski race in a week as Jan Einar Thorsen captured his first World Cup giant slalom at Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

Two-time Olympic giant slalom champion Alberto Tomba of Italy skied the fastest second run but settled for fourth place, 0.90 seconds behind.

Miscellany

A Sheboygan, Wis., travel agency is suing a travel service for more than $130,000 it says it spent on brokered Rose Bowl tickets it never received.

Discovery World Travel Service Inc. filed suit against travel agents Scott A. Smith and Ian R. Chalmers and Charter Club International of Atlanta.

The Sheboygan County Circuit Court suit says Discovery World contracted Nov. 12 with Charter Club for 256 Rose Bowl packages for $278,115.

The doctor who gave Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson the banned steroids that cost him an Olympic gold medal pleaded not guilty to charges of smuggling the illicit muscle-builders.

Jamie Astaphan, a native of the Caribbean island of St. Kitts who has a medical practice in Toronto, entered the pleas in New York on three charges of distributing steroids and four charges of smuggling steroids.

The $220,000 AC-Delco pro bowling tournament will start today as scheduled at Cal Bowl in Lakewood, but Monday’s earthquake has taken its toll on the entry.

Bowling manager Jon Shoutta said that about a dozen pros from an original entry of 200 withdrew.

“One from the East called to say he was too scared to bowl here,” Shoutta said.

Cancellations were received from tour winners Amletto Monacelli and Eric Forkel but most of the name players will bowl the four-day event. David Ozio withdrew because of injury. Today’s opening session will start at 9 a.m., the afternoon session at 4.

Names in the News

Danny Sullivan, who last week lost his Indy car ride, said he expects to drive five NASCAR Winston Cup events in 1994, with the hope that he will have a full-time stock car ride in 1995. . . . San Antonio Spur center David Robinson will sit out at least two games because of a knee injury. . . . Detroit Piston guard Joe Dumars didn’t make the team’s trip to Milwaukee because of a bruised right knee. . . . Three-time Wimbledon champ Boris Becker became a father after his wife, Barbara, gave birth to a son. . . . Infielder Jose Vizcaino and pitcher Jose Bautista came to terms with the Chicago Cubs on one-year contracts. . . . The Angels signed free-agent left-handed reliever Bob Patterson to a triple-A contract with plans to put him on their 40-man roster in spring training. Patterson, 35, was 2-4 last season for the Texas Rangers.