FIGURE SKATING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS : Yamaguchi Leads a Sweep by U.S. Women

Even without the defending champion, the United States became the first nation to sweep the women’s medals Saturday night at the World Figure Skating Championships.

Kristi Yamaguchi earned one perfect 6.0 in winning the gold medal and her first major title. Tonya Harding, the U.S. champion, took the silver, after doing another triple axel. Nancy Kerrigan won the bronze.

“It’s wonderful for the United States,” Yamaguchi said.

Kerrigan edged 1989 champion Midori Ito of Japan, who fell in Friday’s original program and was still too shaken in the free skate to perform up to her usual standard.

The depth of the American team was impressive, even though last year’s champion, Jill Trenary, did not compete because of ankle surgery.

“One-two-three with Trenary home is great stuff for us,” Evy Scotvold, Kerrigan’s coach, said.

The U.S. men have had sweeps three times in world championships--in 1952, 1955 and 1956.

Yamaguchi said her second-place showing at the U.S. Championships did not affect her concentration for the worlds.

“I kept my spirits up and felt relaxed,” she said. “I knew I’d trained hard and tried to stay focused on the worlds.”

Ito never fully recovered from crashing over the boards into a camera pit after a jump combination Friday.

“After my fall in the original program, I had a lot of pain,” she said. “Originally, I did not want to compete again.

“But it was better this morning. Unfortunately, I performed a bad long program. Next year, I’ll jump the combination in the middle of the rink.”

Ito bruised her ribs and left foot Friday. But after a short hospital stay and practice Saturday, the seven-time Japanese champion looked fit in the warmup and landed jumps easily. But once the program started, it was different.

In a free-skating showdown for the title, Yamaguchi’s superb performance eliminated any bad memories she had of the U.S. championship she lost to Harding.

Harding landed a triple axel in her program but did only three more compared to the seven in the electrifying performance that won her the U.S. title.

“I’m not disappointed. I didn’t deserve to win,” Harding said. “I made two major mistakes.”

Yamaguchi, freed from her pairs skating obligations, had more than enough to beat Harding.

Yamaguchi was second in the U.S. singles championships for the past three years. She also was pairs champions in 1989 and 1990 but ended her partnership with Rudy Galindo to concentrate on singles.

Yamaguchi led after the original program, with Harding second and Ito third.