Women's Figure Skating -- Action, Reaction -- Final Practice Has Near Bump, Sharp Words And Entertainment

HAMAR, Norway - Oksana had another close call and left early, looking unhappy. Katarina had some angry words for Surya, and both stayed late to entertain the crowd.

Today's final practice session for the Olympic women's figure-skating event was filled with action.

Oksana Baiul, 16, Ukraine's world champion who cut her shin in a collision yesterday, did much of her free-skate routine this morning, including 11 jumps, four of them triples. Then she left the ice with about half the session remaining.

"My back hurts," she told a television reporter.

"We are hopeful that she will skate. She really wants to skate," said Ludmila Mikhaylovskaya, president of the Ukraine Skating Federation.

Baiul was second to Nancy Kerrigan heading into today's free skate.

Germany's Tanja Szewczenko, who collided with Baiul yesterday, said she felt "better. Only my shoulder and hip are sore."

Surya Bonaly, who is known for disrupting practice sessions by getting in the way of other skaters, nearly collided with Baiul today. Then, as Katarina Witt prepared for a double Axel, Bonaly whooshed by in her path. Witt yelled `Hey,' and then something else in German.

Near the end of the session, Bonaly and Witt were the only skaters still on the ice. Witt, who received the biggest cheers from a crowd of about 3,000, at one point waved to friends and skated over to joke with Scott Hamilton, 1984 gold medalist, and Brian Orser, 1984-88 silver medalist.

Several fans at the other end of the rink bowed to her as she skated by, a big smile on her face.

Bonaly then decided to show off with split jumps and butterflies, which are not in her program. Last off the ice, she departed to a loud ovation.