Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 16, 1992 TAG: 9202160156
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BARRY WILNER ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ALBERTVILLE, FRANCE LENGTH: Medium
ROBBED OF GOLD? SOME THOUGHT SO, BUT NOT JUDGES
He nearly was the best man, and many people thought he was. The judges, however, had a different opinion.Paul Wylie, performing at his best, finished just behind Viktor Petrenko of the Unified Team on Saturday night in men's figure skating at the Winter Olympics.
His silver medal kept intact a streak of American men's medals in figure skating that stretches back 12 years.
While Petrenko was winning the first gold medal in the event for the former Soviet Union - despite falling on one triple axel - Wylie wowed the crowd if not all the judges. There were boos when his scores were announced after a routine that was short on errors and difficult maneuvers.
"I feel I did almost the best job that I could have done," Wylie said. "That alone is the most satisfying thing."
The 27-year-old Harvard graduate, in his final year of amateur skating, got two first-place votes - from the Austrian and Canadian judges. Some coaches and competitors felt he should have gotten many more - and the title.
"Paul Wylie should have won the gold medal," American coach John Nicks said.
Wylie, considered the least likely American medalist - he never has won a United States championship, while teammates Christopher Bowman and Todd Eldredge each have two - entered the night third after the original program.
Wylie was cleaner than Petrenko in the free skate, worth two-thirds of the total score, but his program was a bit less difficult and Petrenko, the 1988 Olympic bronze winner, is more highly regarded on the international scene.
Petrenko went down on a triple axel, but it was the second of his routine, one more than Wylie attempted.
Petrenko also did his first triple axel as part of a difficult combination with a triple toe loop. Wylie's came in combination with a double toe loop and had a turn in between.
Although Wylie's spins were superior, Petrenko had better footwork. The Ukrainian also did his triple salchow coming out of some footwork; Wylie did not.
Wylie landed all six of his triple jumps; Petrenko hit five.
"I don't believe it, I just don't believe it," said Petrenko of his victory. The 22-year-old won a bronze medal at the 1988 Games.
Petr Barna of Czechoslovakia completed the first clean quadruple jump in Olympic competition and finished third.
"All during the week I felt I could do the quad," Barna said.
Barna, who edged Petrenko in the European championships, was third in the free skate after coming in second in the original program.
"This is my first Olympics and world-class medal, and I don't care what color it is," Barna said. "I'm just glad to have it.
"All during the week, I felt I could do the quad."
Only Wylie drew a standing ovation. Fans waved American flags and chanted "U-S-A, U-S-A" when Wylie finished. He waved to the crowd, which included his parents and his girlfriend, Kristen Bruner.
"Finally," said Wylie's mother, B.L. "We were always looking in from outside. Finally, we're in."
When Wylie was announced as the silver medalist, the crowd's boos were just as loud for the man who said he was devoting one year to nothing but skating now that law school was over.
"I didn't think about the medals at first," Wylie said, "but yesterday I did allow myself about a half-hour to think about a bronze medal and that would be amazing. It would vindicate my decision to keep skating.
"Now I have a silver medal and it is serendipity."
Wylie said he was not certain he had won a medal until he got backstage, but he held his emotions in check until the last skater, Elvis Stojko of Canada, had finished.
"I didn't want to be disappointed," Wylie said.
His devotion and dedication through nearly a decade at the senior level paid off Saturday night.
"Most of the time, hard work doesn't pay off," said his father, Bob. "Every now and then, it does."
While Petrenko broke a yearlong slump in which he did not win a major international competition, three-time world champion Kurt Browning of Canada struggled and finished sixth.
Browning missed the Canadian championships in January because of an injured back, and he looked rusty in touching down on a triple axel that foiled a combination. He also cut short several other jumps, but he did hit five triples.
"Viktor gave me a chance to win, but I didn't take it," Browning said. "It just wasn't my day. You don't step on the podium without doing the work."
Bowman skated a bit better to move up to fourth after being seventh in the original program.
He turned out of a triple axel after hitting it and fell on a triple flip at the end of his 4 1/2-minute routine. His performance, to the "1812 Overture," also lacked footwork and was relatively slow.
He still received good marks, including three 5.8s for artistry.