COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Soviet skaters Elena Krykanova and Eugeni Platov, the 1984 World Junior ice dancing champions, retained their title Thursday night by capturing the gold medal in the ice dancing finals of the 1985 World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
Krykanova and Platov took the gold with a fast-moving free dance program performed to popular folk dance melodies.
Soviets Svetlana Liapina and Georgi Sur, bronze medalists last year, won the silver medal Thursday night with another fast-moving program.
The French team of Doriane Bontemps and Charles-Henri Paliard skated a dramatic program to the music of West Side Story to capture the bronze medal.
The three teams finished in the same positions in overall rankings for the ice dancing competition, which began earlier in the week.
The U.S. team of Jodie Balogh of Livonia, Mich., and Jerod Swallow of Northville, Mich., placed fourth Thursday night and maintained fourth place overall.
Earlier Thursday, Tatiana Andreeva of the Soviet Union skated a flawless short program to win the event and advance from fourth place to third overall. Andreeva, 14, finished ahead of Suzanne Becher of West Germany, who maintained her second-place overall standing.
U.S. skater Jana Sjodin of St. Paul, Minn., finished third in the short program but held onto her first-place position overall. She finished first in the compulsories earlier.
Andreeva's advance to third place overall bumped Tracy Ernst of South Barrington, Ill., who finished eighth in the short program, from third into fifth place overall.
In fourth place overall was Soviet skater Natalie Gorbenko, who tied for third in the short program.
Sixth and seventh overall following Thursday's event were Canadian skaters Susan MacKay and Rosmarie Sakic, who placed fifth and sixth, respectively, in the short program.
Girls competition continues Friday with semifinals.
