Everyone remembers who came in first in the Battle of the Brians (1988), and many people remember that Rudy Galindo beat the favored Todd Eldredge in the US Championships in 1996. But who came in third? Then there's some people who spend much of their career with bronze medals. Let's talk about third place winners.
Battle of the Brians. All eyes were focused on two talented men skating serious, masculine military music feeling programs. Anyone remember who came in third with a sensitive, balletic program with wonderful timing and flow?
The 19 year old Viktor Petrenko.
OMG, those bedroom eyes! |
The talented and puckish Dan Hollander. Let's face it, isn't he adorable? And that fast footwork! How I miss blazing fast footwork.
Eventually, you find some people spend a career 'bravely clinging to third'. Schwomeyer and Sladky, Moiseeva and Menenkov, Blumberg and Seibert, and Wilson and McCall all had three Third Place standings at Worlds. But one team bested them with FOUR! third place slots and then finally went on to take a second, then first. They may hold the record for being on the podium for any individual skater or team in Worlds.
Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz.
Here's their 2003 Worlds Championship Free Dance. What can I say? Finally they win!
Ah - Viktor Petrenko! My 18 year old self adored him and his skating and I followed his career avidly for the next 6 years. Almost became one of the best skaters never to win a gold medal at Worlds. Just a shame his Olympic gold was not his best performance (it wasn't a great comp - he just had the least worst performance). Finally saw him skate live with Champions on Ice a few years ago. He was still pretty good then.
ReplyDeleteBourne and Kraatz - the video says they were the first North Americans to win the ice dance gold at the worlds (and at their final performance) - how things change!
ReplyDelete