European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 15, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 22 b the stars and stripes saturday february 15, 1992winter olympics Driver Brian Shimer front and Herschel Walker take Usa i through a practice run thursday at la Plagne  Walker brings fire to bobsled ice by Tony Czuczka la Plagne France a Herschel Walker was getting restless in the nil so he a ready to explode into olympic form and help break a 36-year . Medal drought in the bobsled. Quot i m fired up a the Minnesota Vikings running Back said thursday less than two Days before his Winter olympic debut in the two Man race. Quot this is the big medal  the Winter games Are walkers super bowl after another season of frustration in Minneapolis. A for a Little while i Haven to really been doing anything a he said. Quot in Minnesota i Haven to been playing that much in be been running on and off the  Walker began bobsledding in 1990 and has entered Only one International race. But walkers explosive Start makes the no. T . Sled piloted by Brian Shimer a medal contender against Strong european and Canadian Competition. Quot the Only reason i came Over Here was to win a medal a he said Quot i continue to Tell the team we be got to be ready. 1 done to want to go out and Clown  . Bobs edders last meddled at the 1956 olympics. Greg Harrell who also has nil experience is brakeman on the no. 2 sled driven by Brian Richardson. Shimer and Walker registered the fastest combined time in two practice heats wednesday. They were seventh fastest in one run thursday before Snow forced postponement of the Days second practice. . Coach John Philbin says Walker adds the raw push Power to complement Shimer on the 4,943-foot olympic track. A the sleds going to come out of the Hole like a Jet a Philbin said. A with Shimer being one of the Best push Drivers in the world the combination is going to be  Switzerland with world Champion Gus Tav Weder Germany Italy and Canada Are expected to be the americans main rivals. Each country can enter two sleds. Weder widely considered the Gold medal favorite does no to deny the . Has chances. A Shimer is a medal contender. His practice times prove he is Strong a the Swiss said. . Team officials estimate Walker and Shimer have raced together about 40 times compared to hundreds of times for the europeans. A a we re just out there now getting into the swing of things a Walker said. A a it a sort of like we re getting better and better each Day. A i make the Best of anything i done to care what it is. Because i love to  Walker said he bristled wednesday when a Swiss reporter asked him whether he expected to finish sixth. A i said that san insult. There a no such thing As coming Here to finish sixth. You might As Well not show  French provide the fizz Albertville France a the Champagne was flowing again thursday As France continued to go nuts Over its Best Start in the Winter games in More than two decades. And the Home teams favourites have barely gotten into the act. Skier Carole Merle Hasni to passed her first Gate the Duchesnaye Haven to danced on ice surya Bonaly is still waiting for her first jump in figure skating and Frank Piccard has More slalom races to come. A a it a delirium. Its the Start of two weeks of partying a said Edgar Grospiron who got Frances second Gold with a win in thursdays freestyle moguls. Olivier Allamand got the Silver As France picked up another 1-2 sweep and pushed its medals total to six Matching its output for the past four Winter olympics combined. On Friday the medal count went to seven when three French women upset the favored unified team in team biathlon the last time France did so Well was in 1968 at Grenoble when Hometown hero Jean Claude Killy skied his Way to three medals and France won its most medals Ever  on to cart rat europen Tima today an seb a 7  Cross country skiing .a.-Poland hockey. Ard German first program a 8 45 .-7 15 . 2-Man bobsled menus Cross country women a downhill noon women s Cross country Italy Germany hockey 1 .menus 500 Speed skating Finland Sweden hockey 8 15-11 15 . Canada unified team hockey ice dancing Days highlights. Eur sport a nearly continuous around the clock coverage starting at 6 . Live Alpine skiing 11 . And 2 30 ., live figure skating 6 30 ., live .-Poland hockey 7 10 . Early sunday an seb a 1-5 . General  men skating on thin ice Todd Eldridge editorialized. Albertville France apr Paul Wylie was the american least expected to win a medal in menus figure skating. Now he a the americans last Chance. At the end of his skating career Wylie gave the performance of a lifetime at the olympics sandwiched Between shaky routines by the two Star teammates who had so overshadowed him. . National Champion Christopher Bowman and world Bronze medallist Todd Eldredge both fell Short on jumps and landed in seventh Ana ninth place out of medal Range. But Wylie a sparkling nearly flawless program thursday night moved him into third place behind the unified teams Victor Petrenko and Czechoslovakia a Petr Barna two powerhouses in the skating world. His jubilation a and Surprise a was Plain at the end of his routine when he clenched his fists and put a hand Over his heart. After taking a Bow he skated into the arms of coach Mary Scotvold for an emotional embrace. Quot i was so surprised i had real j up. With myself a said Wylie who at so Supply pulled it off and so pleased 27 is participating in his second olympics a he finished 10th in Calgary. A fall i came to do was to skate clean for the people at Home and people in the audience a he said. A i think i proved a lot of things to myself and that a Why i came to the olympics a second  Wylie missed his triple Axel during the Warmup but nailed it when it counted in combination with a double toe Loop. When he hit his triple flip he flashed a wide Grin and landed a perfect double Axel As his final jump. A a in a psyched but in a trying to focus on the next Day a he said. A i done to want anybody a hype to throw me  Wylie of Denver does no to even want to think about his chances for a medal. A there Are so Many great skaters and they Are so unpredictable a he said. Unpredictable is right. Three time world Champion Kurt Browning of Canada hit a perfect triple Axel in his Warmup then fell on the move in his program. Bowman fell out of the Landing Midway through his triple Axel double toe Loop combination. A it was really difficult to Hook up to As far As the audience a he said. A my own head did me in. It was really difficult on me As far As the  while Bowmans head May have been his problem Al dredges was his Back. He had to skip the nationals and was placed on the olympic team by the . Skating federation. Obviously exhausted approaching the end of his 2-minute, 40-second routine he fell As he landed on his double Axel. The two time . Champion pretended to shoot himself in the head and choke himself As he left the ice. A i just kind of lost my train of thought going into the double Axel a he said. A it was one of those Fluke things where i slipped off the Edge. My endurance was not a  but Petrenko skated a spectacular program putting himself in excellent position to take the Gold for the unified team made up of former soviet athletes. No soviet Man Ever won a figure skating Gold in the games