Gliding to the top
Italian, Russian pair share lead compulsory ice dance
Posted: Wednesday November 25, 1998 04:12 PM
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) -- Federica Faiella and Luciano Milo of Italy were neck and neck in first place with Russian's Natalia Romaniuta and Danil Barantsev Tuesday, following the compulsory dances at the world junior figure skating championships.
Faiella and Milo, who won the silver medal at the world's last year, led the Russian's after the Viennese waltz but dropped behind the pair after the tango.
The result was encouraging for Romaniuta and Barantsev as they finished a distant seventh a year ago when the championships were held in New Brunswick, Canada.
Jamie Silverstein, 14, and Justin Pekarek, 17, of the United States, took third place at the early stages of this event, while their compatriots, Melissa Gregory, 17, and James Shuford, 20, placed eleventh.
Compulsory dances make up for 20 percent of the overall score. The original dances, counting for 30 percent of the total, will take place on Thursday, to be followed by the free skate on Friday.
In the men's short program, rising Russian star Ilia Klimkin made up in artistic impression what he failed in technical elements to maintain an overall lead, which he gained in qualifications that counts towards 20 percent of the total score.
The eighteen year-old stumbled in his opening combination but put up an outstanding display in the remaining essentials and presentation to be aptly reward by the judges.
Frenchman Vincent Restencourt, the winner of the short program, moved to second place, followed by Japan's Yosuke Takeuchi in third. The highest placed American was Mathew Savoi, who landed seventh position.
The men's free skate, which will make up the remaining 50 percent of the final score and decide the title, will take place Thursday.
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