World Team Championships

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Nicole Bobek skated a dazzling artistic program to top three other skaters Thursday night, and Alexei Yagudin led Russia to the championship in the World Team Skating Challenge. She then drew the night's biggest cheers when, after skating off the ice in triumph, she donned a cowboy hat version of the foam rubber cheesehead that has become a symbol of the spirit of Wisconsin sports.

"One of the fans in the audience gave it to me," Bobek said. "I knew the symbolism, so I thought, "Hey, give it to me, I'll put it on right away."'

Bobek's individual victory, however, did not keep Russia from winning the title in the event, which pitted teams from the United States, Russia, Canada and Europe against each other. Each team had one male, one female and one pair competing for team points in the three events, including 20 points for first place.

Yagudin, the 1998 world champion, was ranked first by the five judges to give Russia its second victory in the five years the team championship has been contested. Russian skaters amassed 112 points, the United States and Canada 100 each and Europe 96.

Each team featured one man, one woman and one pair. The team title was based on points skaters amassed in the three events, with 20 for finishing first.

Russia, which also won the title in 1994, built a big lead in the technical portion when its skaters took the top spot in all three events. Yagudin, however, was the only one to hold onto first place after the artistic performance.

Wearing a colorful outfit that resembled a clown costume, Yagudin skated dramatically and without any mistakes to the song "Circus." American Todd Eldredge fell attempting a triple jump and finished second while Kurt Browning of Canada, who helped Canada win last year by taking the men's event, was third. Steven Cousins of England was fourth.

Bobek, third after the technical portion, used an energetic, flawless artistic program, skating to a medley of Motown hits including "Respect," to edge second-place Josee Chouinard of Canada. Bobek was selected first by three of the judges.

"The first one wasn't perfect," Bobek said of the technical portion when, like all the female skaters, she fell and finished third. "But it definitely felt better than the competitions I've been doing, so it made me feel more confident about myself. Then when I went out there in the second one, I had a good time."

Two-time gold medalist Katarina Witt, skating for team Europe, finished third and Maria Butyrskaya of Russia fourth. Butyrskaya was filling in for Ekaterina Gordeeva, out with a minor back injury.

Mandy Woetzel and Ingo Steuer of Germany, former Olympic bronze medalists now performing as professionals, won the pairs competition over Oksana Kazakova and Artur Dmitriev of Russia, who won gold in the 1998 Olympics. Kristy Sargeant and Kris Wirtz of Canada were third and Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman of the United States were fourth.

The Team Challenge is a unique event for figure skaters because they skate for team and not individual honors. But Yagudin said that was fun.

"I can recognize that for Russians to be first was important," he said. "I think it's a nice thing. I enjoyed skating here."

For the first time the event included amateur as well as professional skaters. Bobek and Yagudin are amateurs, Woetzel and Steuer are professionals.

Bobek, however, who with Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan went to the 1998 Olympics hoping for a 1-2-3 sweep only to have Bobek miss out on a medal, is not sure how long she will remain an amateur.