Kwan Stumbles to Third After Short Program

Michelle Kwan created a big obstacle for herself Friday in the World Figure Skating Championships at Nagano, Japan, when she stumbled out of a combination jump in the short program and landed in third place.

Now she trails Russian rival Irina Slutskaya and Japanese favorite Fumie Sugari entering tonight’s finale, the free skate.

Yoshie Onda of Japan was fourth, with Sasha Cohen of the United States fifth.

For Kwan to win her third consecutive world championship and fifth overall, she needs to win the free skating and have someone else defeat Slutskaya, as well.

A jump from third is not out of the question, though. At the Olympics, Sarah Hughes leaped from fourth to upset Slutskaya and Kwan to take the gold medal.

Kwan stumbled out of her triple lutz in the first part of a combination jump. For that, she received technical marks between 5.2 and 5.4, very low for the four-time world champion.

Slutskaya was flawless in her routine, earning two perfect 6.0s for presentation to a Schubert melody. With a high triple lutz entering her combination, she also was the best of the afternoon for required elements, with all 5.8s or 5.9s.

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Auto Racing

Jeff Gordon took the top qualifying spot, setting a track record by running a lap at 127.216 mph at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. It was the 40th pole of his career and his first since August.

Gordon, who won his fourth Winston Cup championship last season, broke Steve Park’s mark of 126.370 mph set in 2000.

Rookie Scott Riggs had no trouble making his first trip around Bristol Motor Speedway, setting a record in winning the pole for the Channellock 250. Riggs ran a lap around the 0.533-mile ring at 126.270 mph, breaking the Busch series record of 125.264 set by Kevin Harvick last year.

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Pro Football

Former NFL star Dexter Manley faces an arrest warrant for failing to appear at a pre-sentencing hearing in Houston after his conviction for evidence tampering.

A jury found the defensive lineman guilty Wednesday of attempting to swallow less than a gram of cocaine during a January 2001 drug bust at a motel.

Manley, 43, had said he was innocent. He remained free on $20,000 bail pending his sentencing but missed Thursday’s hearing. His formal sentencing is April 5.

The Minnesota Vikings were denied their request to move a wrongful death lawsuit by Korey Stringer’s family from Minneapolis to Mankato.

Judge Gary Larson ruled the lawsuit will be heard where it was filed in January by Stringer’s widow, Kelci Stringer, their son and the player’s parents. A trial date has not been set.

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The Carolina Panthers released running back Richard Huntley, who led the 1-15 team with 665 yards rushing last season.... Free-agent cornerback Bryant Westbrook signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys.... The Jacksonville Jaguars signed tight end Pete Mitchell, bringing back an original member of the team who last played for the Detroit Lions.... The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed defensive end Greg Spires and wide receiver Keith Poole to free-agent contracts.... Cornerback Corey Chavous, an unrestricted free agent, agreed to terms with the Vikings.

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Tennis

Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina leaped and punched the air after defeating Andy Roddick, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, in the Nasdaq-100 Open at Key Biscayne, Fla.

Chela, whose ranking has been rising since he returned last summer from a three-month suspension for using a banned steroid, moved into the third round.

Defending champion Andre Agassi, seeded ninth, won a match suspended twice because of rain, beating Greg Rusedski, 6-3, 6-1.

Eighth-seeded Serena Williams also won her opening match, but not without drawing jeers from the crowd. With American Lilia Osterloh serving two points from winning the first set at 5-4, 30-30, a light rain prompted Williams to ask chair umpire Anne Lasserre-Ullrich about halting play.

Osterloh wanted to continue, but Lasserre-Ullrich stopped the match for five minutes. Fans booed, and when play resumed and Williams won the next two points, they booed again.

Williams won, 7-5, 6-1. Third-seeded Martina Hingis advanced more routinely, beating Janet Lee, 6-1, 6-0.

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Miscellany

Aaron Peirsol of Irvine won his second and third titles of the week in the Spring National Swimming Championships at Minneapolis.

Peirsol, 18, won the 100-meter backstroke in 54.47 seconds, and teamed with Daniel Hewko, Scott Tucker and Michael Cavic to take the 800 freestyle relay. Earlier in the week, Peirsol set a world record in the 200 backstroke.

University of Miami running back Frank Gore had surgery to repair ligaments in his right knee and could be ready to play in the fall. Gore, who ran for 562 yards and five touchdowns last season as a freshman for the national champion Hurricanes, was injured Tuesday during spring practice.

Iowa State’s Cael Sanderson, trying to become the first collegiate wrestler to finish undefeated in four seasons, ran his unbeaten streak to 158 matches, advancing to the finals of the NCAA wrestling championships in the 197-pound class at Albany, N.Y.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said in an interview published in a French newspaper that world soccer’s governing body will hold an extraordinary congress on May 28 to discuss its financial health. The meeting will be held in Seoul, a day before the voting for FIFA’s top job. Blatter, 66, is seeking reelection but faces tough competition from African soccer chief Issa Hayatou, 53, of Cameroon.

Olympic silver medalist Shannon Bahrke successfully defended her women’s dual moguls national title and Toby Dawson unseated 2001 men’s champion Garth Hager at Boise, Idaho.

Players from Argentina, Mexico, Canada, England, New Zealand and the U.S. will compete in the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center Skins Polo Game on Sunday at the Eldorado Polo Club in La Quinta.