Yamaguchi, Browning Skate to World Professional Titles

Kristi Yamaguchi skated and shimmied to Elvis Presley’s “Trouble” to win the women’s title for the fourth time Saturday night in the World Professional Figure Skating Championships at Washington.

Kurt Browning gyrated to the Commodores’ “Brick House” to take the men’s crown for the third consecutive year.

After winning last year, Yamaguchi apologized to the crowd for what she considered a substandard effort. This year, she held such a huge lead after a superb technical program Friday night that she was able to retain her title even though she did as much dancing as skating--landing only one triple jump--in between her Elvis-style gyrations in a short, 2-minute 10-second program.

Her marks were all 9.8s and 9.9s, placing her ahead of Ekaterina Gordeeva, who had another fine skate to complete her best competition as a singles skater.

Third went to Denise Biellmann, followed by Nancy Kerrigan, Josee Chouinard and Oksana Baiul. Baiul, after an embarrassing technical program Friday night, came back strong with a sassy routine to “All That Jazz.”

It was Baiul’s first major competition since a car accident in January had her considering retirement.

Winter Sports

Marc Gagnon broke the world record in the men’s 1,000 meters and equaled it in the 500, and Isabelle Charest improved her world record in the women’s 500 at the Canadian Olympic short-track speed skating team trials at Montreal.

In the men’s 1,000, Gagnon, 22, clocked 1:27.96, eclipsing his previous world mark of 1:28.23.

Charest, 26, topped her mark of 44.86 set last year. The world champion in 1996 and runner-up last year bettered the old record twice, setting the new record of 44.77 in the semifinal, then clocking 44.83 to win the final.

Claudia Pechstein of Germany set a world record in winning a women’s 3,000-meter speedskating World Cup competition at Hamar, Norway.

Pechstein was timed in 4:07.13, 0.63 of a second faster than the record set by teammate Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann. Kirstin Holum of the United States placed sixth.

The U.S. doubles luge team of Mark Grimmette of Muskegon, Mich. and Brian Martin of Palo Alto put down the two fastest runs of the event to win the All-Japan Championships, a tuneup race on the Nagano Olympic track.

Austrian teammates “Super Mario” Stecher and teenager David Kreiner laid down the two longest ski jumps of the day during the final round to lead the 112-meter jumping phase of a Nordic combined World Cup meet at Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Stecher, who led the 88-meter jumping at Howelsen Hill, went 115.5 and 119 meters for 248.6 points. Kreiner, 16, went 111 and 116.5 meters for 240.2 points with American Todd Lodwick of Steamboat Springs third.

Soccer

Roseli volleyed a bouncing ball in the 20th minute for the only score, giving Brazil a 1-0 victory over the Olympic champion U.S. women’s national team--it’s first win over the Americans in eight tries.

Roseli ran onto a long ball from Nene and struck it from 15 yards to beat U.S. goalie Tracy Ducar. It was the fourth consecutive time Brazil had taken the lead against the United States, but the first time it was able to hold it. The match was played at Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Helman Mkhalele scored on a 40-yard shot with four minutes remaining to give South Africa a 2-2 tie against the Czech Republic in the first round of the FIFA Confederations Cup at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In the day’s other game, Nicolas Olivera scored in the final minute of the first half and Antonio Pacheco in the final minute of the second to give Uruguay a 2-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates.

Miscellany

Britain’s Henry Akiwande remained in heavyweight contention with a unanimous decision over American Orlin Norris in Pompano Beach, Fla. Also in Pompano Beach, Johnny Tapia successfully defended his World Boxing Organization junior-bantamweight title with a unanimous decision over Puerto Rico’s Andy Agosto.

Larry Donald retained his World Boxing Council Continental Americas heavyweight title with a win by unanimous decision over Tim Witherspoon in Ledyard, Conn.

A goal by Sandra Whyte with 58 seconds remaining gave the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team a 3-3 tie with Finland in the opener of the Three Nations Cup Tournament in the Olympic Center at Lake Placid, N.Y.

Two Danish fans were stabbed to death inside a stadium during halftime of a match in the Women’s World Handball Championships at Berlin.