Italian ice dancer Barbara Fusar Poli, who stunned millions of television viewers with her Olympic Games strop with partner Maurizio Margaglio, claimed she wasn't angry, just upset.

The 34-year-old veteran fumed and glared at Margaglio after she had tumbled embarrassingly to the ice during Sunday's original dance routine.

Her stoney-faced rage turned into an unscheduled piece of extra drama as both skaters stared each other down in a lengthy stand-off.

"I was upset but not angry with Maurizio. We are like brother and sister. You can make a mistake, it's only human," said Fusar Poli after they finished sixth overall in Monday's free dance finale.

Sunday's blunder had pushed them down from first place after the opening compulsory programme to seventh spot.

With it went the medal hopes of a pair who had come out of retirement to take part in their home Olympics.

"It was a lack of confidence. We knew we had lost the medal but tonight we transformed the mistrust into competition."

Russia's Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov took the gold medal ahead of America's Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto with husband-and-wife Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov of the Ukraine taking bronze.

The Russia's two-time world ice dance champions set the Palavela alight with a passionate free dance to Bizet's Carmen Suite.

The pair embraced each other emotionally after their performance.

Kostomarov, 29, fell to his knees on the ice as 30-year-old Navka brushed tears from her eyes.

"It's my dream from when I was a little girl. I always wanted to be an Olympic champion and now it's happened," said Navka.

Kostomarov added: "I'm the happiest man in the world right now. What else can I say?"

Russia are now on course for a figure skating title sweep after Yvegeny Plushenko won men's gold and Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin the pairs.

Irina Slutskaya is favourite in the women's event starting Tuesday.

(China Daily February 22, 2006)