Figure Skating Men Offer Pedigrees, Upstarts

Copyright 1994 The San Francisco Chronicle

Hamar, Norway - Sorry, folks. There's no Tonya-Nancy intrigue going on in men's figure skating -- at the moment.

These guys actually get along.

Brian Boitano is Scott Davis' skating idol.

Kurt Browning and Elvis Stojko are so chummy they sat together on the long flight from Canada to Oslo.

``If I were uncomfortable around Elvis all week, it would waste a lot of energy,'' Browning said.

That's good, because he and Boitano will need all of their energy to beat Davis, Stojko and gold-medal favorite Viktor Petrenko, the 1992 Olympic champion, when competition starts tonight.

Boitano and Browning have the proper pedigrees, no doubt. Boitano is the 1988 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world titlist; Browning is a four-time world champion competing for Canada in his third Olympics.

Davis, the best spinner in the world, and Elvis, a big jumper, are the upstarts.

When he successfully defended his U.S. title last month in Detroit, Davis, 22, pulled off one of the biggest skating upsets ever.

Boitano, 30, had put his lucrative pro career on hold and was a hands-down favorite, but his mistake on a triple Axel and a dynamic performance by Davis gave the youngster from Great Falls, Mont., the title.

But Davis never really had a chance to bask in the limelight. The news was all about the clubbing attack on Nancy Kerrigan, and the involvement of Tonya Harding's ex-husband and bodyguard.

``The day that Scott beat Brian, certainly it was the victory of the century in many ways, because nobody thought it could happen,'' said Davis' coach, Kathy Casey.

``When it did happen, the headlines were Kerrigan and Harding and a little blurb in the corner about Davis beating Boitano.''

Between his defeat at Detroit and the Harding imbroglio, Boitano has been all but forgotten in Norway. The night he arrived, he sat unnoticed in a corner of the accreditation office while more than a dozen photographers camped out across the room waiting for Kerrigan.

``I think it's been a lot easier for me, because attention equals pressure,'' Boitano said, ``and for me, not having the attention has been great. I've been able to concentrate on my skating and the changes'' he made to improve his long program.

Boitano will be the first skater in the short program, a position he said he likes because it gives him less chance to get nervous.

``I definitely think this is the most talented men's field in a long time, if not ever,'' Boitano said. ``I know they're all great skaters, and it's going to be a difficult competition, but I know it's going to come down to the night.''

It was big news when Stojko finally beat Browning last month in the Canadian championships after six tries in big competitions.

And if Stojko lands the quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination he has planned, he will be hard to overlook for a gold medal. He didn't land the quad at nationals but still edged Browning, who struggled in the short program.

``I pulled back in the long to make sure I was on the team,'' Browning said. ``I didn't go out to beat Elvis, I went out to make the team. Who's to say I couldn't beat him that day?''

Browning, looking for his first Olympic medal after finishing a disastrous sixth in Albertville because of back problems, has to be a sentimental favorite in his final Games. And at age 27, he's more than happy to share the spotlight with Stojko.

``A lot of people have said to me, `You've carried the torch for four or five years. Relax, go to the Olympics and skate and let someone else do the work for a change,' '' Browning said. ``It's a lighter load.''

Davis and Stojko like their situation. The way they see it, they get the confidence boost from having beaten two of the greats, but the attention is still focused on Boitano and Browning.

``I think coming into the Olympics as a national champion helps a little bit,'' Davis said. ``But not all the pressure has been put on me because Brian's coming back.''

Stojko agrees bearing a national title helps.

``But you can't count them out. . . . Kurt and Boitano will always be in the hunt,'' he said.