1990 Worlds Pairs OP (CBC) - Halifax | Gordeeva & Grinkov Lead Mishkutenok & Dmitriev [Poor Signal]

(Poor Source Picture Signal/Tape Damage) Summary: At the 1990 World Figure Skating Championships in Halifax, the pairs original program produced a tightly contested battle between the dominant Soviet teams and a strong Canadian contingent. Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler opened the broadcast with an energetic, virtually error-free performance, highlighted by their double twist, side-by-side double Axels and strong lifts. The home crowd responded with a standing ovation, and their marks temporarily established the standard for the leading contenders. Reigning World and Olympic champions Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov answered with a polished performance of their own. After having struggled with the original program at the European Championships, they successfully completed the side-by-side double Axels and displayed the speed, finesse and precision that separated them from the field. Their marks, reaching 5.9 for artistic impression, put them firmly into first place. Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev then delivered what the Toller Cranston described as perhaps the finest performance of the evening, combining athletic difficulty with unusually strong musical and emotional expression. They received a standing ovation and moved into second behind Gordeeva and Grinkov. Other contenders experienced mixed fortunes. Defending World silver medallists Cindy Landry and Lyndon Johnston were hurt badly by Johnston's error on a side-by-side double Lutz, while U.S. champions Kristi Yamaguchi and Rudy Galindo showed substantial improvement in their pair skating and moved into fourth at that stage of the competition. Christine Hough and Doug Ladret skated with speed and energy but also lost ground through an error on the individual jumps. The final major challengers were experienced Soviets Larisa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov, whose aggressive and distinctive program featured excellent side-by-side double Axels and strong individual skating. Their clean performance moved them into third, producing a Soviet sweep of the top three positions after the original program: Gordeeva/Grinkov first, Mishkutenok/Dmitriev second and Selezneva/Makarov third, with Brasseur/Eisler fourth. --- VHS60fps (very poor picture signal source), Canadian coverage (commentators: Toller Cranston, Ted Reynolds). The 1990 World Figure Skating Championships were held at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, Canada from March 6 to 11. --- Chapters 00:00 Isabelle Brasseur & Lloyd Eisler (CAN) — 4th 04:28 Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov (URS) — 1st 08:31 Cindy Landry & Lyndon Johnston (CAN) — 10th 13:44 Natalia Mishkutenok & Artur Dmitriev (URS) — 2nd 18:01 Kristi Yamaguchi & Rudy Galindo (USA) — 5th 21:51 Christine Hough & Doug Ladret (CAN) — 7th 26:01 Larisa Selezneva & Oleg Makarov (URS) — 3rd 31:00 Men’s Compulsory Figures Feature --- #figureskating #フィギュアスケート #eiskunstlauf #фигурноекатание #pattinaggioartistico #patinageartistique #patinaçãoartística #pairskating