Only two years before, Oksana had obtained her first pair of new skates. Now she stood on the highest podium with the big, gold, Olympic medal proudly displayed on her chest. She was the youngest Olympic womens champ since Henie in 1928. Asked by a reporter what she wanted now that she had Olympic gold, Oksana replied, A Snickers. A cute and witty reply that also made good business sense. Mars, Inc. that candy bars manufacturer, courted her, and signed her to a multiyear contract to promote it. Oksana returned to Ukraine a day ahead of her teammates. A customs officer was the first to greet her, with a kiss and a bouquet. A joyous throng awaited her. Then she met with many Ukrainian officials. Leonid Kravchuk, the president, awarded her a check for $15,000, which was promptly used to buy shares in an industrialinvestment bank. Oksana gave Kravchuk a poster signed by each member of the Ukrainian Olympic team. She hardly had time to pack before meeting her next dignitary, President Clinton of the U. S. Kravchuk took the elfin heroine on his offical state visit to Washington. She has this ageless look in her face, the Associated Press qouted Clinton as saying about Oksana. I think its kind of neat that he [Kravchuk] asked her to come. Then she returned to Odessa and the ancient rink with soft, uneven, dangerously pitted ice. Still wearing a backbrace because of her injury, she practiced with Petrenko for a Summer tour of seventy American cities.

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