Russians show why they’re best

Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY – The rest of the world will have to do better than this to end the Russian pairs’ Olympic streak. And that includes the Canadian world champions.

Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won Saturday night’s short program at the Salt Lake City Olympics, edging Jamie Sale and David Pelletier.

In taking seven of the nine judges with a display of precision skating typical of the Russians – and before them, the Soviets – Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze showed why it’s been 42 years since another nation won the Olympic pairs gold.

“It’s dedication, it’s enthusiasm, tradition and art in sport, education in theater, psychology and the quality to adjust to any circumstance,” said Russian coach Tamara Moskvina, who has trained three Olympic champion pairs. “That is the history of our country.”

Sale’s and Pelletier’s string of victories is nine, three times over Berezhnaya-Sikharulidze. To make it 10 straight, they’ll have to overtake the Russians in Monday night’s free skate, worth two-thirds of the total score.

“We know we cannot take this responsibility on our shoulders,” Pelletier said. “We’re not coming here to break a streak of the Russians and Soviets.”

China’s Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo were third. Americans Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman were fifth after a slightly flawed program.

The other American pair, Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn, were 11th after she fell twice.

The Russians’ program flowed from beginning to end, and their side-by-side triple toe loops were smooth and in complete unison. Their split double twist was so strong he placed his arms by his side while she was airborne, then had time to reach up and catch her.

They pumped their fists and hugged warmly before he kissed her on the head at the end of their short program.

Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze, who finished second at the 1998 Games, then won two world titles, have had their problems since Nagano.

In 2000, Berezhnaya failed a drug test, which she said was caused by over-the-counter cold medicine. They withdrew from the world championships, then were suspended for three months by the International Skating Union and stripped of their European crown.

“Many things happened in the last four years, good and bad,” Sikharulidze said. “To be here and skate well is just great.”

The Russians also skipped last month’s European championships because of his leg injury.

That hardly was the worst to happen to Berezhnaya, who missed much of 1996 after her former partner, Oleg Shliakov, inadvertently sliced her head with his skate while they practiced a spin. Berezhnaya barely escaped injuries to her brain, and after teaming with Sikharulidze, the pair has been among the world’s best.

They are training partners in Hackensack, N.J., with three-time U.S. champions Ina and Zimmerman. The Americans took the ice to hundreds of waving flags.

Zimmerman, in his Olympic debut, and Ina, in her third games, skated well, but not perfectly. He added a side hop to his triple jump and he momentarily lost his balance on a camel skin, despite not falling out of sync with Ina.

“If he would have two-footed it,” Ina said, laughing, “it would have looked a lot nicer.”

With the crowd chanting “U-S-A, U-S-A,” their lowest marks came from the American judge, which surprised them.

Ina also was surprised to be one of eight athletes chosen to meet President Bush before Friday night’s opening ceremony.

“That was an extremely ‘WOW’ moment of my life,” she said.

Sale’s and Pelletier’s playful routine to “Jalousie” included a move where she places her hand atop his head and bounces him as if he were a basketball. Their combination lift featured an unusual cartwheel dismount.

Seconds after the music ended, Pelletier fell, bringing Sale down with him. Both chuckled as they stood up, knowing that little miscue didn’t count.

“I said, ‘I cannot believe I came all the way here to do that,’ ” Pelletier said. “The WWF, we’re sure, will like this. I hope nobody thought we did it on purpose. You don’t want to end your program on your butt – not here, anyway.”

The Chinese, medalists at worlds the last three years after a fifth at Nagano, featured a huge throw triple loop in which she seemed headed for the cheap seats before landing in perfect form. But they lacked spark and when he made an extra turn on their side-by-side spins, it dropped them to third, where even the Chinese judge had them.