Slutskaya tops Kwan

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Russia's Irina Slutskaya upset world champion Michelle Kwan with a near-perfect program, but the United States beat the World team 11-10 to win the Hershey's Kisses Figure Skating Challenge.

The made-for-TV event Sunday at The Palace of Auburn Hills pitted seven of America's top skaters against seven of the world's best performers in head-to-head competition. The winner of each match earned two points, the loser one, with a final score tabulated at the end.

Slutskaya, who finished second to Kwan at the 2000 World Championships in Nice, France, received three 5.8s and two 5.7s in skating technique and three 5.9s in presentation. Kwan scored 5.9, 5.8, 5.6 and two 5.7s for her technique and one 5.9 and four 5.8s for presentation.

Slutskaya said she wasn't thinking beating Kwan, just about having fun and getting ready for the Russian Nationals, which are at the end of December.

"Those world championships have ended," Slutskaya said. "This is a new season. I must think about new competition.

"I'm so happy I skated good. It was clean. I had lots of fun. ... I feel more relaxed."

Kwan left immediately after the event and was not available for comment.

Fellow Russian Alexei Yagudin, the reigning three-time men's world champion, beat U.S. silver medalist Timothy Goebel in the day's second biggest skate-off. Skating his long performance to the score from "The Gladiator," Yagudin scored three 5.9s and two 5.8s in presentation to earn the victory.

All told, the U.S. team won four events, with 1992 Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi beating France's Surya Bonaly in the day's opening event. Sasha Cohen topped Japan's Yuka Sato in the second women's match, and Todd Eldredge beat Canada's Brian Orser on the men's side. Sarah Hughes also beat Russia's Maria Butyrskaya head-to-head as both skaters fell during their routines.

For the World team, Canada's Kurt Browning won the opening men's match by scoring four 5.9s and a 5.8 in the presentation part of his skate. With spurs on the back of his skates, Browning delighted the crowd with a Western-themed program to Holly Cole's "Don't Force Me In."

"I'm still trying to decide how flirtatious you're supposed to be and how much cowboy you're supposed to be," said Browning, a four-time world champion. "I think it will get better."

Browning edged reigning U.S. figure skating champion Michael Weiss, who fell on a triple Axel midway through his four-minute program. Weiss, who's coming off a stress fracture in his left foot, used the event as a dry run for next month's 2001 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.