Post by Admin on Jan 7, 2014 8:27:19 GMT -6
from Associated Press
February 17, 1988
SOVIET TEEN STEALS SPOTLIGHT
by AP
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) - Sergei Grinkov, tall and broad-shouldered, swung his tiny partner into the death spiral, a rudimentary part of every pairs figure skating program.
Around and around, feathery Ekaterina Gordeeva whirled, spinning and twirling like a child's top. Her pony tail brushed the ice ever so lightly and, as the Saddtedome crowd responded to this elfin skater and the magic moment, it became obvious that the Soviet Union had another Olympic gold medal locked up.
Marking figure skaters is a subjective task, but a judge would have to be out buying a cup of the Calgary Games' ubiquitous cocoa to ignore Ekaterina. She is riveting.
Grinkov and Gordeeva came into Tuesday night's long program in first place in the competition and they needed a disaster to lose that grip. While other skaters slipped and fell, they conducted a flawless ballet on ice, skating in perfect harmony to the melodies of Chopin and Mendelssohn.
"Before the long program, everyone had an equal chance to win," said Soviet coach Stanislav Leonovich. "But my skaters skated perfectly and were admired by the judges and audience. And I admired them myself."
And well he should have.
Their marks for technical merit and artistic impression reflected their performance. Of 18 grades, two each from the nine judges, three were 5.8. The 15 others were all 5.9s, as close to perfection as figure skaters can come.
Flowers flew on the ice, tributes to the perfect harmony achieved by the Soviet skaters. And as she skated off the ice, tiny Ekaterina smiled broadly, looking for all the world like a Kewpie doll.
"I think we did everything perfectly," Gordeeva said later. "I'm very happy with our performance."
Happy? The Kewpie doll on skates was positively glowing.
She lights up an arena. The ballet lessons at the Bolshoi, the 19 hours of training every week, the tireless dedication to her craft all are obvious.
Gordeeva's first major title came in 1985, when she won the Junior World Pairs at age 12 with Grinkov and captivated the audience with her well-scrubbed looks. She is 16 now, all grown up to 90 pounds and just over 5 feet tall, still small enough and light enough for her partner to toss around easily in their acrobatic routines.
Leonovich was asked if they had more magic in their repertoire and he smiled mischievously. "That's a secret," he said. "We will show it later."
The world competition next month in Budapest, Hungary, should be some show.
It is hard to imagine more from Gordeeva. She is an acrobat on ice, always, it seems, landing perfectly in balance, smiling and spinning into the next move. Ekaterina is the sweetheart of these Olympics. She has become to the Calgary Games what Olga Korbut was to Munich and Nadia Comaneci was to Montreal. She has the energy, the smile, the size that takes her a level beyond.
Figure skating medal hopefuls Katarina Witt and Debi Thomas have breathtaking beauty and spectacular athleticism. Gordeeva has a different kind of appeal. She is not beautiful. Not yet. But one day she will be.
For now she is the watch fob-sized darling of these Games, fueled with youthful enthusiasm, waving to the crowds with a gold medal banging around her neck. This gold, at age 16, holds the promise of more to come.
Would she ever consider skating singles? The little girl with the pixie looks smiled.
"Yes," she said. "I think I'll compete in men's."
Imagine, all that talent, and she's got a sense of humor, too.
February 17, 1988
SOVIET TEEN STEALS SPOTLIGHT
by AP
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) - Sergei Grinkov, tall and broad-shouldered, swung his tiny partner into the death spiral, a rudimentary part of every pairs figure skating program.
Around and around, feathery Ekaterina Gordeeva whirled, spinning and twirling like a child's top. Her pony tail brushed the ice ever so lightly and, as the Saddtedome crowd responded to this elfin skater and the magic moment, it became obvious that the Soviet Union had another Olympic gold medal locked up.
Marking figure skaters is a subjective task, but a judge would have to be out buying a cup of the Calgary Games' ubiquitous cocoa to ignore Ekaterina. She is riveting.
Grinkov and Gordeeva came into Tuesday night's long program in first place in the competition and they needed a disaster to lose that grip. While other skaters slipped and fell, they conducted a flawless ballet on ice, skating in perfect harmony to the melodies of Chopin and Mendelssohn.
"Before the long program, everyone had an equal chance to win," said Soviet coach Stanislav Leonovich. "But my skaters skated perfectly and were admired by the judges and audience. And I admired them myself."
And well he should have.
Their marks for technical merit and artistic impression reflected their performance. Of 18 grades, two each from the nine judges, three were 5.8. The 15 others were all 5.9s, as close to perfection as figure skaters can come.
Flowers flew on the ice, tributes to the perfect harmony achieved by the Soviet skaters. And as she skated off the ice, tiny Ekaterina smiled broadly, looking for all the world like a Kewpie doll.
"I think we did everything perfectly," Gordeeva said later. "I'm very happy with our performance."
Happy? The Kewpie doll on skates was positively glowing.
She lights up an arena. The ballet lessons at the Bolshoi, the 19 hours of training every week, the tireless dedication to her craft all are obvious.
Gordeeva's first major title came in 1985, when she won the Junior World Pairs at age 12 with Grinkov and captivated the audience with her well-scrubbed looks. She is 16 now, all grown up to 90 pounds and just over 5 feet tall, still small enough and light enough for her partner to toss around easily in their acrobatic routines.
Leonovich was asked if they had more magic in their repertoire and he smiled mischievously. "That's a secret," he said. "We will show it later."
The world competition next month in Budapest, Hungary, should be some show.
It is hard to imagine more from Gordeeva. She is an acrobat on ice, always, it seems, landing perfectly in balance, smiling and spinning into the next move. Ekaterina is the sweetheart of these Olympics. She has become to the Calgary Games what Olga Korbut was to Munich and Nadia Comaneci was to Montreal. She has the energy, the smile, the size that takes her a level beyond.
Figure skating medal hopefuls Katarina Witt and Debi Thomas have breathtaking beauty and spectacular athleticism. Gordeeva has a different kind of appeal. She is not beautiful. Not yet. But one day she will be.
For now she is the watch fob-sized darling of these Games, fueled with youthful enthusiasm, waving to the crowds with a gold medal banging around her neck. This gold, at age 16, holds the promise of more to come.
Would she ever consider skating singles? The little girl with the pixie looks smiled.
"Yes," she said. "I think I'll compete in men's."
Imagine, all that talent, and she's got a sense of humor, too.