European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 18, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday february 18,1988 the stars and stripes Page 17 sports . Medal drought ends figure skaters capture Bronze in pairs even by John Nelson Calgary. Alberta a Jill Watson and Peter Opp Sard won a Bronze medal in pairs figure skating tuesday night despite a fall by Walson. For America s first medal of the Winter games. That s really cuiling Watson said i Don t think we be fully real cd yet inn we cashed  the Gold went to 16-year-old Eka Mcrina Gord Mcva Natl 21-Ycar-old Sergei Grinkov of he soviet Union. Skating an uninspired but flawless program 10 classical music from Chopin and Mendelsohn. The soviet Union s Elena Valova and plug Vasiliev. 1984 olym Pic Gold medallist won the Silver. The United states now is Al one medal and count ing. 1 Irmin Zurbriggen and Malti Nykanen arc Al one Winter olympics cold and counting. And no one is counting out inc polish hockey icam even though it has t won a game. Hut inc count for Zurbrugg in and Nykanen was put hold in wednesday s Competition. Zur Brigati rcl1 in he second run of the combined slalom wednesday losing his Chance Al a second Gold medal and a sweep of the Alpine events Al the win scr olympics. Zurh Rifgon finished the first run of she slalom 1.74 seconds of the Lead and needed Only to gel Down safely in the second run to win inc new Alpine event called the combined. Dul he hooked the Lipof his right ski on a Gale got his skis tangled and fell. Hubert Strolz of Austria won the Gold medal Bern hard gel rain of Austria won the Sil ver and Paul Accola of Switzerland the Bronze. Nykanen did t fall but will have to wait. High winds cancelled the team ski jumping event and Sec Ond Day of the women s luge on wednesday. In wednesday s other medal event Marjo Valikai non gave Finland its first Cross country skiing Gold medal of the Winter olympics today edging the soviet Union s Tamara Tikhonova in the i Kil Mcter Classi Cal style event. Matikainen the world Champion at the women s sprint distance clocked a winning time of 15 minutes. 4.0 seconds. Tikhonova. One of the Early Star tors in the race held under Cloudy skies with temperatures in the High 20s, missed by Only 1.3 seconds of providing the soviet Union its third Crosb country god in As Many events Vida Van Sene the soviet skier who won the open ing i of last sunday was third today in 1 s 11.1. It was Matikainen s second medal in these games. She was a Bronze medallist in the i of behind i Hemovi  raises Melanina. Watson and Oppegard skating to filandia and two pieces by Puccini including Madame Butterfly missed a Chance for the Silver when she fell while try ing to land a double Axel. The two skaters had separated on the ice and were mirroring each other s moves when it came Lime for the double aids. Oppegard hit his perfectly but Wai Ion lost her balance an Felt. Llwana bit of a Surprise when Ijmte slipped off my Edge on inc Side by Side double axes said Walson of Bloomington lad. But we had to come from within and pull ii out and say we be got to do in " so dirt. Eau Martna car diva and sense Rinkov Fly through their gom medal Purfor Nurt in cil Giry tuesday Nam. Shortly after the fall Walson landed one of the to i i of Oculi parts of their program a throw triple salchow and they had pulled out the Bronze. When Jill landed the throw triple salchow so beautifully we knew we had the program Well under our Bells if we could just continue in the same fashion said Oppegard ,Tenn. Americans Gillian Wachsman of Riverside conn., and Todd Waggoner of Schau Rayburg iii., finished fifth drop Ping one spot in  the Short program. Like the americans Poland came into the Day without a medal Bui its ninth seeded hockey team was the talk of the games after a tie with the world Champion swedes. Poland played dogged defense about All in can do to skate to a i i lie with Sweden which scored 13 goals in its first Victory and Canada survived another scare to beat Switzerland 4-2. That moved inc canadians who beat Poland 1-0 in their Erst game into first place in the a Pool of sin teams three of which will move into the medal round. Later tuesday Finland beat France 10-1. Gordish Crven a form nil player scored with 15 14 left to break a 1-1 lie As the canadians struggled past inc ninth seeded Swiss. Bonny Warner of mount Baldy Calif one of the lop Luezera in the world was eighth after the first runs tuesday and appeared to have mile Chance of breaking an East German stranglehold on tic event if the winds Abate enough to get in the event s final two runs. Olympic officials announced wednesday that if the runs can t be completed on thursday the medals would go to those ahead at the end of the first two runs. Admitting she was really just shooting for fourth  Warner was 1.089 seconds off the Lead of ule Ober Hoffner 1984 Bronze medallist. Olympics on to thursday an 7 . Wednesday s . German first program 5 pub wednes Day highlight. German second program 7 15 . WornT1 downhill 10 10  hockey Sweden is. Switzerland did France is. Poland Friday German second program 1 55  hockey Canada is. Finlan men. Inure skating own �  to Peri slating 6 Abb. And i 1s pin i thursday i highlights. German first program sj6 pub men 15-Wlomeltr Cross country men tote double Wom in i downhill combined 9  Friday s highlight 19 10 . Hockey Weil Genny n. Strict Union. . Skater files new Appeal for starting spot Alberta a Erik Henrik san. Inc outspoken Captain of the . Speed skating team made another Appeal tuesday to the . Olympic committee in an Effort to change the final starting spot for thursday s 1,000 my scr race. The 29-Ycar.old Henrik san a iliac a Lime olympian from Champaign. Iii., had an earlier Appeal rejected by a soc panel last week. But Henriksen said tuesday he presented evidence from a race in Europe showing that times used to determine the fourth spot were Dilt Actu than those re ported at the earlier hearing. The fourth and final spot As a lewd by . Coach Mike Crowe went to Tom Cushman who was Suth in the 1.000 at the . Olympic trials in de Cember. Ken Rickson trials Winner David Cruikshank and John Baskfield All com Elaine to the soc saying they should ave been chosen Over Cushnan. Henrik san and Cruikshank appeared at the soc Headquarters in Calgary along with Jack Byrne. The president of inc United states International Speed skating association. They me briefly with Chuck Foster a member of the soc panel thai Beard last week s Appeal. Hei Wikson said he presented proof of inaccuracies that would be sufficient evidence to reopen the selection pro  Henriksen said he was told Foster would talk with inner panel members and inform him of any decision Dan Jansen Nick Thometz and Eric Flim Are the other three to tartars for inc United states in thursday s race