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Browning turns tables to capture first title; Kurt Browning.
| Source: |
The Times |
| Date: |
October 7, 1988 |
| Author: |
John Hennessy |
Kurt Browning, of Canada, confounded the world rankings in winning the
Skate Electric UK International at Richmond last night. He surpassed
Christopher Bowman, of the United States, in the free skating and so
leapt above him into first place.
Both skaters finished with 3.4 points, and the tie-break, decided on
the free skating, went Browning's way. It was his first victory in
international competition.
After the retirement of Brian Boitano, the Olympic champion, and Brian
Orser, the world champion in 1987, Bowman lies third in the world to
Vicktor Petrenko (Soviet Union) and Grzgorz Filipowski (Poland), with
Browning a place farther back.
The judges broke five to four in Browning's favour, the five no doubt
influenced by his triple axel, a jump that eluded the American. A
single axel instead, in front of the judges, underlined his failure in
this one element, which he has yet to perform in competition. In other
respects Bowman offered the greater variety, since the Canadian could
not emulate his triple flip and triple lutz.
The two British entries were only bit players in this company, but
Steven Cousins, aged 16, (no relation to Robin) did enough to suggest
that he has the potential to offer a challenge in the years
ahead.
He brought off two triple salchows. His programme has little shape and
character at the moment but the years are on his side.
The ice dance competition was won for the second consecutive year by
Maya Ussova and Alexander Zhulin, of the Soviet Union. The British
champions, Sharon Jones and Paul Askham, pulled up to second place by
overtaking the Americans, Suzanne Semanick and Ron Kravette. Their
programme incorporated a number of original lifts and lines and, if it
lacks for the moment, light and shade, there is time to build on it
before the British championships next month and the sterner tests of
the European and world championships thereafter.
RESULTS: Men: Free skating: 1, K Browning (Can), 1.0pts; 2, C Bowman
(US), 2.0; 3, R Winkler (EG), 3.0; 6, S Cousins (GB), 6.0; 8, A Moore
(GB), 8.0. Final positions: 1, Browning, 3.4; 2, Bowman, 3.4; 3,
Winkler, 7.6; 7, Cousins, 13.4; 8, Moore, 16.4. Ice dance: Free
skating: 1, M Ussova and A Zhulin (USSR), 1.0; 2, S Jones and P Askham
(GB), 2.0; 3, S Semanick and R Kravette (US), 3.0; 7, L Bradby and A
Towers (GB), 7.0. Final positions: 1, Ussova and Zhulin, 2.0; 2, Jones
and Askham, 5.2; 3, Semanick and Kravette, 6.0; 7, Bradby and Towers,
14.0.
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