Petrenko Dethrones Browning in Adding World Crown to Olympic Gold

PETRENKO DETHRONES BROWNING IN ADDING WORLD CROWN TO OLYMPIC GOLD-C.I.S. skater earns pair of perfect presentation marks; Stojko's bronze gives Canada two medals for first time

OAKLAND, Calif.--Olympic champion Viktor Petrenko dethroned Kurt Browning on a night when two Canadians won medals in men's singles Friday for the first time in the history of the world figure skating championships.

Petrenko, of the Commonwealth of Independent States, received a pair of perfect 6.0s from the nine judges--the rest were 5.9s--for presentation to win his first world title.

Browning, of Caroline, Alta., finished second in the free-skate and second overall, ending his run of three straight titles. He was third after Thursday's short program.

In a major breakthrough, Elvis Stojko of Richmond Hill, Ont., won the bronze medal. He had been fourth on Thursday.

Michael Slipchuk, Browning's Edmonton Royal Glenora clubmate, finished 13th.

Despite losing his title, Browning washed away the bitter taste of a sixth-place finish at the Winter Olympics with a solid performance.

"There's nothing wrong with a silver medal," said Browning. "I'm really proud."

Stojko placed sixth at the 1991 worlds in Munich and showed even more potential with an under-marked Olympic seventh.

"It was in the back of my mind that this was possible," he said of the medal. "I wanted to skate to the best of my ability and it was good enough to get me on the podium."

When informed it was the first time Canada had won two medals in the same event at the worlds, Stojko was awed.

"Wow, that's pretty amazing," he said. "And it's great to be one of them."

The free-skating--4 1/2 minutes--was worth two-thirds of the total mark, which meant that any of the top three could win the gold by winning the long program.

Czechoslovakia's Petr Barna, first going into the long program, was first on the ice in the final group but he was flat. The difficulty level, too, was lower than those to follow. He earned marks as low as 5.2 and was gone from medal contention.

That kept Browning's shot at gold alive and opened the door to Stojko.

Browning was next and delivered a top-flight program. He over-rotated a triple jump landing and put a hand down on another but this was more of a return to the clutch performance seen in the past. He had three 5.7s, five 5.8s, and one 5.9 for technical merit; two 5.6s, two 5.7s and five 5.8s for presentation.

Stojko was next. He did a triple jump instead of a planned quadruple toe loop, and had a hand down on a jump landing. Otherwise, he was his usual electric self, ending his show with a series of flying camel spins that only he among all the top skaters can manage. He had three 5.7s, five 5.8s and one 5.9 for technical merit; one 5.4, two 5.5s, four 5.6s and one 5.7 for presentation.

Petrenko followed and skated better here than he did at the Olympics. There were 5.8s and 5.9s on the technical side.

Bowman was the last skater and finished fourth despite pulling a leg muscle late in his performance.

Slipchuk had skated in a previous group. When he fell three times, he slid back from the ninth spot he held after the original.

Meanwhile, Lloyd Eisler and Isabelle Brasseur had to settle for a bronze medal Thursday night in the pairs event.

It was the same result for Eisler, 28, of Seaforth, Ont., and Brasseur, 21, of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., as they had at last month's Winter Olympics.

Russians Artur Dmitriev and Natalia Mishkuteniok added a second consecutive title to their Olympic crown. They received four perfect 6.0 marks for artistic impression in Thursday's free-skating final.

Brasseur fell twice during the 4 1/2 minutes, the same problem she had at the Olympics.

One wonders now if the partnership is on the rocks.

"We might not be done yet," says Eisler. "You never know. I don't want to go out with my tail between my legs. I want to go out feeling proud and knowing I made a difference in this sport."