European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 21, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Yamaguchi Kerrigan Lead women s skating the stars and stripes by Randy Harvey the los Angeles times Albertville France its officially is known As ladies singles but women a figure skating actually consists of a lot of Small Young assassins who would rather turn in their sequins than curtsy to each other. No wimps allowed. The first Day of their Competition wednesday at the olympic ice Hall featured intimidation last minute strategy changes and More than a few hard knocks. There was no body checking but it is possible that one of the women tried to decapitate another. Two relatively Dainty . Skaters Kristi Yamaguchi of Fremont calif., and Nancy Kerrigan of Stoneham mass., managed to remain above the fray As Well As the other competitors performing efficiently and elegantly to finish one two it the original program. That counts toward one third of the final score which will be determined in fridays freestyle program. In third place is the local favorite Frances surya Bonaly the former gymnast who despite her two european championships might still look More comfortable on the balance beam than on the ice but did not find the going too Slippery wednesday night. Although she did not enter the Winter olympics As a medal favorite the teenager from Paris who once booed the judges when they gave her Low scores in the world championships proved again earlier in the Day that she is not one to go gently into the second tier. During a practice she performed a Back flip that seemed designed to sever Midori Ito a head at the neck. There was no Contact but Ito the favorite from Japan obviously was shaken. A she did no to do it on purpose a said her coach Didier Gaillaguet. After the incident Ito landed Only three of the 10 triple axes that she tried which might have been the reason that she decided to leave that jump the most complicated of the triples out of her original program. As she and the United states Tonya Harding Are the Only women to Ever perform triple axes in Competition it gives them an almost unsurpassable Edge when they land them. But Ito became cautious replacing the triple Axel with a triple Lutz an easier a but not easy a jump. Her strategy failed when she fell on that and although she recovered nicely the judges placed her fourth virtually out of Contention for Gold Harding a sometime drag racer from Portland ore., tried her triple Axel and it Cost her when she fell. She is in sixth place right behind another French teen Ager world Junior Champion Laetitia Hubert who performed an energetic but not particularly difficult program without a major error. Yamaguchi the reigning world Champion was a Clear favorite of the judges. Wearing an ice Blue dress and skating to a the Blue Danube Waltz a she was first according to All nine judges. On a scale of 6.0, she received seven 5.9s for artistic  Only other skater to receive eve inside sport revived clippers rout takers a Page 22 Sembach women 3-0 at Safe a Page 25 osterholz girls topple Berlin a Page 25 Kaiserslautern boys Stop Wurzburg a Page 26 m californian Kristi Yamaguchi wraps up her whirlwind Conquest of the judges wednesday. February 21,1992 Page 28 czechs Bounce Sweden Meribel France apr Czechoslovakia filled out the olympic hockey semifinal Field wednesday night As Otakar Janecky broke a 1-1 tie with 6 55 left in a a one 5,9 was Kerrigan the Bronze medallist in last years world championships who was second according to All the judges but one the French one who in a bit of blatant Flag waving placed Bonaly second. Skating to might anon so the master and Paradise a Kerrigan like Yamaguchi received her highest Marks for style. But Yamaguchi bristled when asked whether she and Kerrigan won a Battle for artistic Over athleticism. She pointed out that the triple Lutz double toe combination that they both landed perfectly the combination that Ito missed is not for those with weak hearts or Ankles. A i  say that was just artistry out there a she said. Because of her consistency Yamaguchi enters Friday nights freestyle program As an almost prohibitive favorite now that Ito appears to be out of Contention. In order to win the Gold medal Ito would have to finish first in the freestyle and Hope for a third place for Yamaguchi. That is not Likely but As Yamaguchi said wednesday night a anything can  who knows she might have to practice at the same time As Bonaly. 3-1 Victory Over top seeded Sweden. Czechoslovakia 5-1 faces Canada 51 in Friday nights semifinal. The United states 5-0-1 meets the unified team 5-l in the other semifinal at 5 . Central european time. Sweden 3-1-2 plays for fifth place thursday night against Finland 3-2-1the .-unifled team olympic hockey showdown today will be carried live today at 5 . Get on an radio and to. Which lost to the unified team 6-1 earlier wednesday. With the score 1-1, czech goalie Petr Briza got the puck to Janecky along the left boards. Janecky fired a snapshot from the top of the left Circle that went under defens Eman Borje calming who went Down to Block it. The puck hit goalie Tommy soders Tromp a pads but it trickled through. Janecky nearly gave Czechoslovakia the Lead 38 seconds into the third period but his shot bounced off the right Post. Patrick Augusta got the final goal with 2 17 left when he lifted a Short Backhander Over Soderstrom. Czechoslovakia whose last medal was a Silver in 1984, can finish no worse than fourth. Sweden a string of three consecutive Bronze medals was snapped. Sweden which won the world championship last Spring entered the tournament As a co favorite with the unified team. The swedes had several nil veterans including calming Mats Naslund Hakan Loob and Bengt Ake Gutafson Mikael Johansson gave Sweden a 1-0 Lead five minutes into the game. He got behind Miloslav Horava at Center ice took a pass from Kenneth Ken Holt and broke in alone. He beat Briza to the Glove Side. Drahomir Kadlec tied the score at 18 46 of the first period. Petr Rosl passed the puck from the left Circle to the right Point where Kadlec blasted a Low snapshot past Soderstrom. Kronberger glides to second Gold Meribel France a Petra Kronberger who started the women a olympic Alpine Competition with a Gold medal ended it the same Way by knocking american Julie Parisien out of first place thursday and winning the slalom. Parisien finished fourth missing the Bronze by .05 seconds. Kronberger the top All around woman skier the last three years was timed in 1 minute 32.68 seconds for two runs. She was .42 seconds faster than Anne Lise Roberger of new zealand who provided the Southern hemispheres first olympic Alpine medal by climbing from eighth place after the first run. The Bronze went to Blanca Fernandez Ochoa whose brother Francisco was a Surprise Winner of the 1972 slalom Gold at Sapporo Japan. She was .25 behind Roberger and just ahead of Parisien the Auburn Maine resident who led after the first run. Kronberger opened the Winter games by winning the combined Gold. After a fall in the giant slalom on wednesday Kronberger seemed especially focused for the slalom. In both of her runs she was especially smooth through the difficult turns on the Steep portion immediately after the Start then Rode with quiet Confidence through the flatter Bottom sections