So far at Nagano, the Russians have won all three gold medals in figure skating and five of the nine total medals.
"I can't speak for all the Russians, but Evgeny and me, we had a lot of education about this sport," Grishuk said. "It was a lot of hard work, dedication and ballet."
Considering the hype that Grishuk had managed to provide for herself with outrageous posing and interviews over the past few months, her winning performance with Platov was surprisingly unengaging. The crowd at White Ring arena seemed bored by the couple's depiction of a series of historic horrors or by the performances of the other medalists.
"Ice dancing is an art," complained Natalia Dubova, the coach of the fourth-place Canadians, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz, who received the warmest reception.
"All of us remember how Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean improved the sport," Dubova said. "I always ask myself what do Grishuk and Platov do to me? And I don't think they improve the sport."
Grishuk has spoken much this past week of impending movie offers and her search for a new boyfriend. "Line them up, but they must have gold medals," she said.
Once on the ice, however, her passion eclipsed her choreography. The couple who unseated Torvill and Dean moved athletically and swiftly, but without a compelling vision.
"My opinion and the opinion of other people is we really brought a lot to the sport," Grishuk said, defending herself against Dubova's charge. "We brought brand-new movements. We made it look like a real sport."
Because this is ice dancing, with its infamous rigged standings, not a single couple in the top 13 changed positions after the free skate. Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow of Pontiac, Mich., began and finished the night in seventh place.
Since the Soviet Union broke into republics, its former members have won every figure-skating gold medal, in every event, with the exception of Kristi Yamaguchi's victory in 1992.
Grishuk joked that she and Platov would stay in the sport for another four years. Asked if they would go to Minneapolis for the worlds next month, she complained about the venue.
"Minnesota is not a very exciting place for me to go," she said. "I had a boyfriend there once, but not anymore."
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/1998/02/17/1998-02-17_russians_lords_of_the_dance.html
