Russian roulette/ Duo's victory over Canadians controversial

SALT LAKE CITY - David Pelletier leaned forward and buried his face in his hands, his joy sneaking through the fingers.

The technical marks for Pelletier and Jamie Sale's long program had just flashed across a television screen on the edge of the Salt Lake Ice Center. The Canadians were seconds from winning the Olympic pairs gold medal and toppling the greatest dynasty in Winter Olympic history.

A second set of marks for presentation flashed. Pelletier covered his face again, but he could not hide disbelief.

In a decision that was greeted with a deafening boo and immediate outrage in international skating circles, Russia's Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, despite a Sikharulidze stumble, were awarded the gold medal, touching off the first major controversy of the Games.

The Russians extended a Soviet/Russian hold on the Olympic pairs title to 11 Olympic Games, thanks to a decision that fell along Cold War lines. Russia, Poland, China and the Ukraine had the Russians first. Canada, the United States, Germany and Japan went with the Canadians.

"How did that happen?" NBC announcer Scott Hamilton said, referring to the decision. "(Sale and Pelletier) won that. There's not a doubt for anyone in the place expect a few judges."

"What controversy?" said Tamara Moskina, Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze's coach. "The results are already written, published and announced."

A showdown that had been anticipated since Sale and Pelletier upset the Russians at last year's World Championships in Vancouver, was further heightened when Sale and Sikharulidze collided in the closing seconds of warmups. The collision knocked the wind out of Sale and left her visibly shaken.

Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze skated first. Skating to a Charlie Chaplin medley, the pair started strongly, but Sikharulidze stumbled on the landing of their second jump.

"I didn't think at all," he said. "I just skated."

Sale and Pelletier then took the ice.

"I looked at Dave and and I thought, 'I'm not finished,'" Sale said.

The Canadians, skating to "Love Story," turned in the performance of their career.

"We skated absolutely perfect," Sale said.

But five judges disagreed, giving the Russians the edge on technical merit.

"Without question, I'm ashamed for my sport," said Lori Nichol, Pelletier's and Sale's choreographer.

Americans Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman were fifth.

Copyright 2002
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