SPILL SPELLS END FOR PAIR MEDAL HOPES DASHED WITH FAILED THROW TRIPLE-AXEL.

Byline: Paul Oberjuerge Staff Writer

TURIN, Italy - Rena Inoue and John Baldwin entertained the notion they could win a medal in the stacked Turin Olympics pairs skating competition.

That idea bit the dirt at the same moment Inoue hit the ice.

The duo from Santa Monica weren't able to reprise their signature throw triple-axel, which they landed while placing sixth in the short program, and slipped to a seventh-place finish Monday night at the Palavela arena.

Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin extended Russian domination of pairs by winning the gold medal with an elegant, nearly flawless program. Russians have won pairs gold at every Winter Games since 1964.

Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao of China took silver despite a hard fall by Zhang Dan on a daring, throw quad-salchow.

She needed several minutes to compose herself before the Zhangs (no relation) completed their program. Zhang Dan said she thought ``this is the end'' when she landed hard on both knees. She went back on the ice ``because we are at the Olympics. I didn't want to miss the chance.''

Said Zhang Hao: ``I am very satisfied with this silver medal. We clearly suffered for it. I'm proud of her for being so brave and finishing the competition.''

Inoue and Baldwin made pairs history when they landed the high-scoring throw triple-axel at the U.S. Championships last month, then successfully introduced it to the Olympics in the short program Saturday.

In the free skate Monday, Inoue was badly off-balance when she landed, and fell to the ice.

``I thought I had a chance, but I couldn't hold on to it,'' Inoue said. ``But when I looked at the replay I didn't even know I was leaning forward that much. I thought it was just a little bit. I thought it could pull myself back. I thought I could accomplish it. Then I just concentrated on skating well.''

``I blame myself for not giving her the height that I gave her in the short program,'' Baldwin said. ``The pressure of knowing you could possibly medal and seeing that other teams missed a couple of things, I think I felt that pressure. I didn't think that Rena felt that pressure; she was solid.''

Baldwin perhaps was being hard on himself. So many pairs turned in outstanding efforts, the Americans would have been hard-pressed to move up even one spot from sixth to fifth, even though their free-skate score of 113.74 was a personal best.

Chinese pairs finished third and fourth, and a second Russian pair was fifth. All five couples seemed to compete at a level above that of Inoue and Baldwin, whose total score of 175.01 points was nearly 12 points away from a medal, nearly 30 behind Totmianina and Marinin.

``At least I know I gave 100 percent,'' Inoue said. ``I can't ask myself anything more than that.

``We learned a lot. This Olympics is a fantastic experience for both of us. I'm just so happy to be here.''

Inoue, 29, is at her third Olympics; her first two came while skating for her native Japan. It was the first Olympics, however, for Baldwin, 32, who is Inoue's boyfriend.

``I don't think we should be upset about anything because I never thought we would make it this far,'' Baldwin said. ``I never thought we'd skate six years together and be two-time national champions and have an opportunity to make history in the last week.

``We've accomplished so much in just coming to the Olympics and getting on to that Olympic ice. It's a dream for me.''

Paul Oberjuerge, [phone]

paul.oberjuerge(at)sbsun.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Rena Inoue falls in front of partner John Baldwin as they attempt their signature throw triple-axel in pairs skating competition Monday. The couple finishes seventh.

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

(2 -- color) no caption (Rena Inoue and John Baldwin)