Evening star., 1960-02-22
Throngs at Winter Games
Change Fiasco Into Boom
Swede Defeats
Reds in BiuthIon;
Swiss Triumphs

SQUAW VALLEY, Calf,
Feb. % (AP).-A threatened
fiasco has turned into a BOOM
ing success for the American
organizers of the eighth Winter
Olympics.
The only element lacking
now to widen the smiles of
American officials is a gold
medal. But they probably will
have to wait until tomorrow to
collect one of those cherished
souvenirs.
Once again it will be up to
the girls tomorrow. That means
Carol Heiss, the queen of the
figure skaters from Ozone Park,
N. Y, and the daring New
England skiers, Penny Pitou
OF Clifford. N. H., and Betsy
Snite of Norwich, Vt, in the
6loAIG SldlOLll.
Red Skater Sets Record
Yesterdays medals went to
Sweden's KlaS Lestander in the
biathlon (croSS country skiing
and shooting with a time of l
hour 33 minutes PIG seconds;
Switzerland's Roger Staub in
the giant slalom in 1:48.3, and
RusSia's Lidija Skoblikova in
the womenS 1,500-meter speed
skating. The 20-year-old Rus
sian student broke the world
record by three-tenths of a
second with a time of 2:25.2.
The speed skating triumph,
plus solid placings in other
events, sent the Russian point
score soaring to 6312. The
Soviet athletes have the unofh-
cial team title all but sewed up
again. Sweden is second with
29, Germany third with % and
the United States is fourth
with 16.
Miss Heiss, the four time
world champion and the 1856
Olympic silver medalist, has
piled up a commanding lead
after four compulsory figures
in the figure skating cham
pionship.
Could Clinch Today
The 20-year-old blond cuts
her fifth and final school figure
today. BY the time the judges
get through counting, she
should be so far ahead that no
one will be able to catch her in
the free skating finale tomor-
row. She had 626 points 10
580.5 for her closest rival,
Sjoujke Dijkstra of Holland.
When it comes to free
skating, the four-minute ex-
hibition to music, Carol is the
greatest of them all now.
Clear and sunny weather.
The perfect kind that lured 32,-
600 spectators here on Satur-
day and 47,OOO more yesterday
was expected to attract an
other throng of 25,000-plus to
this tiny, festive valley cupped
in the High Sierra.
Cash registers tinkled a
merry tune in the valley and
for miles around.
Five Events Today
The schedule lined up for
the holiday crowd today in
cluded the 15-kilometer (9l4
niles cross country half of
the Nordic combined tthe ski
jumping phase was held yes
terday); the fifth school figure
OF the women'S figure skating;
the women's 1,000-meter speed
skating championship: t h
mems downhill ski race, and
the opening games of the six
team final hockey tournament.
The United States routed
Australia'S green hockey team,
12-l, yesterday and advanced
to the final siX-team cham
pionship tournament. T h 9
other five teams in the round
robin are RuSsia's defending
champions, Canada, Sweden,
Czechoslovakia and Germany.
In the opening games today,
the pairings were: United
States VS.. Sweden. Russia VS..
Czechoslovakia, and Canada
VS.. Germany.
COrcOran Surprises
Staub and Miss Skoblikova
aimed for doubles today, the
Swiss skier in the downhill and
the Russian girl in the 1000
meter speed skating.
The American men weren't
expected to do much in the
downhill, although Tom Cor
See OLYMPICS, Page Ais