Yamaguchi, Browning lead after technical program

WASHINGTON (AP) The first night of the women's competition in the World Professional Figure Skating Championships was no competition. Defending champion Kristi Yamaguchi simply blew away the field.

With a program that would probably contend for the gold medal if she were still an Olympic skater, Yamaguchi scored 99.0 out of a possible 100 points Friday night as she kissed her way through a medley of Louis Armstrong songs.

"Traditionally I've always done something classical for the technical program. After five years, we decided to do something a little more lighthearted,'' Yamaguchi said of the medley that included "A Kiss to Build a Dream On,'' "Kiss of Fire'' and "It's Been a Long, Long Time.''

Two-time defending champion Kurt Browning edged Rudy Galindo to take the lead in the men's competition on a night when many skaters seemed to have problems with the soft ice inside the new MCI Center.

Radka Kovarikova and Rene Novotny were tops among the pairs, while Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur led the dance competition.

The artistic programs, which count 50 percent of the final score, will be held Saturday night.

Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympic champion and three-time world pro champion, landed four clean triple jumps and double axels. No one else landed more than two triples. Her only significant stumble was an extra step between a triple flip and a double toe loop, and she received 12 scores of 9.9 and two of 9.8.

Katia Gordeeva, who skated a warm but technically less demanding routine, was second with 97.5 points. Nancy Kerrigan and Denise Bielmann tied for third, ahead of Josee Chouinard and Oksana Baiul, who seemed close to tears as she took to the ice for her first major competition since an automobile accident in January.

"She did seem upset,'' Yamaguchi said. "But I don't know what had happened.''

Baiul, who skated slowly and had trouble virtually every time she attempted a jump, was unavailable for comment.

In pairs, Radka Kovarikova and Rene Novotny took the lead after the technical program despite Novotny's nasty fall during warmups. She appeared to catch a rut in the soft ice at the new MCI Center and crashed into the boards with a hard thud.

"I went so strong and fast and slipped and couldn't stop,'' Novotny said. "It sounded worse than it was.''