Israeli skaters capture bronze
By Lionel Gaffen

METULLA (March 24) - Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovsky earned the highest achievement ever for Israel in a winter event by winning the bronze medal in the World Figure Skating Championships in Nagano, Japan, on Friday.

Adorned in their newest costume, a black and silver affair with Jewish stars emblazoned front and back down their entire length, Chait and Sakhnovsky put on a dazzling display of pyrotechnics in the free skate segment. They skated with tremendous speed and energy to a medley of Israeli and Yiddish tunes: "Hava Nagila," "My Yiddishe Mama," and ending with "Heivenu Shalom Aleichem," which was orchestrated by the London Philharmonic.

Chait and Sakhnovsky kept the promise they made in an exclusive interview with The Jerusalem Post just after skating to an unprecedented sixth-place finish at the recently completed Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City, which was to "bring a medal to Israel."

"We're looking forward to the day, hopefully soon, when we'll be able to do just that," Chait said then.

Yossi Goldberg, the president of the Israel Ice Skating Federation, told the Post from Nagano that "this is an historic occasion for sport in Israel, as it is the first time in our brief history of winter sports that we've accomplished so much, so quickly.

"The entire audience was very moved by the closing strains of 'Heivenu Shalom Aleichem,' and gave [Chait and Sakhnovsky] a rousing reception."

The bronze medal did not come easily, as the Lithuanian team of Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas (bronze medalists in the 2000 World Championships), skating in their last amateur performance, gave their all in a speed-filled skate. But in a reversal of the original dance, where the judges had awarded them third place by a 5-4 decision, the judges gave Chait and Sakhnovsky the free dance by the same margin. As that counted for 50% of the total, the Israelis moved up from fourth to third.

Although considered somewhat of an upset by much of the figure skating world, their placing wasn't totally unprecedented, as Chait and Sakhnovsky had relegated the Lithuanians to third place after them at the Grand Prix Skate America competition a few months ago.

ISF secretary Judith Javor called Chait and Sakhnovsky's performance "just over the moon."

"They were absolutely terrific, and did their entire skate flawlessly. The telephone here hasn't stopped ringing with the outpourings of congratulations," Javor added.

Asked what the team's plans will be now that they've won their first medal since skating as a pair in late 1994, Goldberg replied, "For them, it will be work as usual, as they'll begin preparing for the coming season. As well, we expect a tremendous upsurge of interest at the Canada Center [in Metulla] with all aspects of the ice skating programs we have going on, now that our skaters have brought a medal home to Israel."

Carrying the momentum of their silver medal skate from the Olympics with them, Irina Lobacheva and Ilia Averbuch of Russia captured their first World Championship (after a bronze medal last year) with a very dramatic free dance, a tribute to the September 11 terrorist attacks.

They became the 24th winner of a dance title for a Russian or Soviet country since 1970.

Taking the silver medal was the Canadian duo of Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz, skating to a Michael Jackson medley.

Irina Slutskaya of Russia, the Olympic silver medalist, captured the gold medal in the women's event, and finally dispelled her bridesmaid tag. She had placed second to American Michelle Kwan in two of the last three worlds, but this time made Kwan, the four-time world champion, settle for second.

Fumie Suguri of Japan was third and Sasha Cohen of the USA was fourth overall.