BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS : Lugbill’s Performance Lacks Magic Touch : Canoe/kayak: Penalty for hitting gate in first run costs the American a chance at a medal.

LA SEU D'URGELL, Spain —  Everyone here was waiting for another great run from Jon Lugbill on Saturday.

They waited to see if the world’s most successful whitewater canoeist could use his distinctive paddling style, which is aggressive, fast and short on finesse to propel him to the one title he had yet to win in his illustrious career.

But they waited in vain Saturday as Lugbill flailed through the currents, boulders and falls of a 340-meter course on the River Segre in the Pyrenees. In the first Olympic whitewater slalom competition in 20 years, the sport’s best-known figure finished fourth.

Lugbill, 31, of Bethesda, Md., scored 118.62 points in the men’s canoe singles. His last run, which concluded the day’s competition, was exciting until he hit the monstrous current at the 15th gate, losing several seconds.

Czechoslovakia’s Lukas Pollert, 22, won the gold medal with the low total of 113.69 points; Britain’s Gareth Marriott, 22, took the silver with 116.48, and France’s Jacky Avril the bronze with 117.18.

American David Hearn, a five-time World Cup silver medalist, finished 11th; teammate Adam Clawson was 21st.

Dana Chladek, 28, of Bethesda, Md., won a bronze in women’s kayak singles. She totaled 131.75 points. Germany’s Elisabeth Micheler scored 126.41 to win the gold, and Australia’s Danielle Woodward had 128.27 for the silver.

Cathy Hearn of Garret Park, Md., finished ninth and Maylon Hanold of Seattle 25th.

But many were questioning Lugbill’s second run. Was he too old? Will he retire? Did he train enough? Did he compete enough internationally?

Lugbill, a five-time individual world champion, replied: “Pollert made a great run, and Marriott has been tough all year. Why does it have to be me when someone else is doing something well?”

“Will I retire? I don’t know. I don’t have any plans. I pointed everything toward this. We’ll see. Wins and losses don’t motivate me. As long as it’s fun, I’ll continue.”

U.S. whitewater Coach Bill Endicott, Lugbill’s longtime trainer, had different thoughts.

“Too bad the Olympics came at the end of our careers and not in the middle, especially when there is so much young competition,” he said. “I think the handwriting is there. Jon trained really well and works hard. He did his best, and that’s all we can ask. He just came up a little short.”

By about two inches.

Lugbill actually had the best running time in his first start but was assessed a five-second penalty for touching a gate, which left him second.

“You usually feel it when you touch,” Lugbill said. “I felt nothing at all. I thought I had a really good run. I was seven-hundredths faster than Pollert, who won, so if I hadn’t touched that gate, it might have been a different game. I may have been getting a gold medal--at least a silver.”

The narrow Spanish course was not conducive to Lugbill’s style. It is better suited for setting up strokes, while Lugbill has a relentless, almost violent rhythm.

“I really haven’t been successful with this type of course, but I did come over for about two weeks to work on it,” he said. “I’m not worried about how history will judge me because of the Olympics. I’ve done the best I could for years.”

Chladek, the kayak bronze medalist, seems to be in a groove, having earned silver medals in the last two World Championships.

She was leading after the first run but said: “I didn’t feel that run would win. I thought people would go clean, and there were two women who did, so I was mainly trying to think about improving.”

Said Endicott: “Right now, she is as good as anybody in the sport.”

Canoe / Kayak Medalists

* MEN’S CANOE SLALOM

GOLD: Lukas Pollert (Czechoslovakia)

SILVER: Gareth Marriott (Britain)

BRONZE: Jacky Avril (France)

* WOMEN’S KAYAK SLALOM

GOLD: Elisabeth Micheler (Germany)

SILVER: Danielle Woodward (Australia)

BRONZE: Dana Chladek (United States)