It Figures That Foreign Relations Cool on Ice

The Cold War, or as close as it gets, circa 1998:

One week in Philadelphia, the three members of the U.S. Olympic women’s figure skating team are talking excitedly, and rather haughtily, about sweeping the medals next month in Nagano.

“Absolutely,” says Nicole Bobek, who finished third at the U.S. championships behind Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski. “I think we can go 1-2-3, no problem.”

The next week in Milan, Italy, the roughly translated Russian response:

Go stick a sequin-spangled leotard in it.

“I read the American newspapers after the American championships and found out that people think it will be Tara, Michelle and Bobek winning the medals,” newly crowned European champion Maria Butyrskaya said, scoffing at the idea.

“I would make myself a contender.

“Kwan is the main favorite for the gold medal. But concerning Lipinski, she made some mistakes in her program this season. She can be beaten.

“The Olympic Games . . . many surprises can happen there.”

Butyrskaya should be presented some award for finally adding some sauce to a decidedly bland build-up of the women’s Olympic figure skating competition. While Kwan and Lipinski pull down technical scores of 6.0 for daintily tiptoeing around questions about their so-called “rivalry”--They like each other, they really do--Butyrskaya has yet to be debriefed about the American concept known as political correctness.

At the Champions Series Final in Munich in December, the 25-year-old Butyrskaya dismissed Lipinski’s skating as “childish” while describing herself as “a more artistic skater” with “more elaborate choreography. . . . I’m a woman on the ice, and I think it’s more interesting to watch.”

Many skating experts agree with Butyrskaya, although it bears noting that she finished third to Lipinski’s first place at the Champions Series Final--after placing fifth behind Lipinski, Kwan and two others at the 1997 World Championships.

And Butyrskaya’s victory at the European championships was far from an overwhelming artistic achievement.

Covering the championships in Milan, Brian Creighton of Reuters wrote, “Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski will have little to fear from the Europeans at next month’s Nagano Olympics. . . . [Butyrskaya] was far from flawless on her jumps, landing the first two poorly before settling down for an exquisitely presented performance. . . . Butyrskaya’s failure to land the triple lutz jump cleanly in either portion of the event will cost her dearly against the Americans in Nagano.”

Still, she might as well show up. There are figure skating press conferences, many of them, that need to be saved.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LUTZ

If it was gold or silver, a Russian skated away with it at the European championships. For the second year in a row, Russia swept the gold medals in men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs and ice dance--and this time, won all four silver medals as well.

Particularly impressive was the showing of the Russian men. With the country’s top two male skaters, Alexei Urmanov and Ilia Kulik, out with injuries, Russia still placed 1-2-3--with 17-year-old Alexei Yagudin winning the gold and injury replacements Evgeny Plushenko and Alexander Abt taking the silver and bronze.

Other Russian medalists included:

* Irina Slutskaya, European titlist in 1996 and 1997, who slipped to second after being overtaken by Butyrskaya in the long program.

* The pairs team of Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharuldze, who won the gold in only their 18th month of skating together. Berezhnaya’s former partner, Oleg Shliakov, nearly ended Berezhnaya’s career in 1996, accidentally spiking her in the head with his skate blade during a spin--an injury that required surgery and sidelined Berezhnaya for six months.

* The dynastic dance team of Oksana Grishuk and Yevgeny Platov, who won their third European title with their 21st consecutive victory in national and international competition.

So, what happened to the rest of Europe?

France’s Philippe Candeloro, Olympic bronze medalist in 1994, all but disintegrated in the men’s short program, limping in at ninth place before rallying in the long program to finish fifth overall.

Germany’s Tanja Szewczenko and France’s Surya Bonaly were 1-2 after the women’s short program, but Szewczenko dropped to third with an error-ridden long program, and an out-of-shape Bonaly huffed and puffed just to stay in motion on the ice for the required four minutes, eventually placing sixth.

And in pairs, Germany’s defending world championship tandem of Mandy Woetzel and Ingo Steuer was not entered. Steuer is still recovering from injuries suffered in a December automobile accident.

URMANOV CAN’T WIN IT AND NEITHER CAN YAGUDIN

Urmanov officially abandoned defense of his 1994 Olympic gold medal last Wednesday when the Russian Figure Skating Federation announced that Yagudin and Kulik would receive the country’s two spots in the men’s field at the Nagano Games.

Russia lost its third Olympic spot when Urmanov pulled out of the 1997 World Championships with a groin injury that continues to bother him and kept him out of the European championships.

That clears out the only man who finished ahead of Canada’s Elvis Stojko in Lillehammer. Stojko, a three-time world champion, is the consensus favorite at Nagano--a consensus that now includes Yagudin.

After winning his gold medal in Milan, Yagudin said he’s not good enough yet to defeat Stojko.

“I’m proud of my skating, yet it could have been better,” the 17-year-old said. “But I don’t think I can beat Stojko this year. Maybe next year my skating will be good enough. . . . But it is too hard now.”

Kulik, then, stands as Russia’s best chance against Stojko. Kulik sat out the Milan competition as a precaution for a minor back ailment, federation officials said, and should be fit for Nagano. In their most recent head-to-head confrontation, Kulik out-skated Stojko to win last month’s Champions Series Final.

PICABO: COMEBACK CONTINUES

Three weeks before she is scheduled to defend her 1994 Olympic silver medal in the women’s downhill, Picabo Street placed fourth last Thursday at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy--her best showing since returning from 1996 knee surgery.

“That’s what I wanted--a top-five,” said Street, who completed the Cortina downhill run in 1:29.29--one-tenth of a second faster than women’s overall World Cup leader Katja Seizinger of Germany.

Before Thursday, Street’s best results during the 1997-98 World Cup season had been a pair of 10th-place finishes.

“Peek’s awesome,” said U.S. women’s downhill coach Jim Tracy. “She had a small mistake off a jump and wound up in some soft snow. Otherwise, she’d have won it, no question.

“But this is the next step. It’s another step in the comeback. We’ve said all the way that we want to take small steps back, build on each one, and that hasn’t changed.”

Isolde Kostner of Italy won the event in 1:28.48.

CHASING FLO-JO

Sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 100-meter world record of 10.49 seconds has been on the books for more than nine years, regarded as next to untouchable, but Marion Jones believes the mark is within her grasp.

“I think I can break the world record,” Jones said at a news conference in Helsinki last week. “I am not saying next year or in three years . . . but I can do it.

“I am faster than last year. . . . I definitely think I can run much faster than 10.76 and 21.76,” she added, referring to her personal-best times at 100 and 200 meters.

Jones, 22, won the women’s 100-meter world championship last August in Athens and was the 1997 women’s world leader at 200 meters.

“This is my first real season,” Jones said, maintaining that her primary goal in 1997 was “just to prove myself and [show] the world a little bit that I was not a fluke. I am here to stay and it’s all for real.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Calendar

ALPINE SKIING WORLD CUP

* Wednesday-Sunday: Men’s slalom, giant slalom (Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany).

* Thursday-Sunday: Women’s downhill, giant slalom (Are, Sweden).

FREESTYLE SKIING WORLD CUP

* Friday-Sunday: Acro, aerials, moguls (Breckenridge, Colo.).

BOBSLEDDING

* Monday-Sunday: Europa Cup (St. Moritz, Switzerland).

SNOWBOARDING

* Wednesday-Sunday: U.S. Grand Prix (Mammoth Mountain).