Kurt Browning lifts Canada to team figure skating championship

Copyright 1997 the Associated Press. -- All Rights Reserved

In a brilliant performance that garnered seven perfect scores of 10, Kurt Browning lifted Team Canada to victory Friday night in the Northwestern Mutual Life World Team Figure Skating Championship.

Team Canada had 588.6 points to edge the United States, which got a strong boost from Kristi Yamaguchi to finish second with 586.1 in the four-team competition. Team Europe was third with 583.9 points and Team Russia fourth with 583.1.

Each team had one male, one female and one pairs team for the one-night competition at the Bradley Center.

Browning, a four-time world champion, had the top aggregate score in the men's competition of 99.1, a total of both the technical and artistic performances. Paul Wylie, the 1992 Olympic silver medalist, finished second at 98.2.

''That was a really nice surprise,'' Browning said of the perfect scores. ''I really felt good out there and the crowd was great.''

Browning was also delighted that Team Canada won, even though there was a lot of pressure.

''It's fun at first, until you get down to the end. Then it's amazing, it's a different kind of pressure. It's like you are out there skating and you've got the puck and the team needs a breakaway goal. It's hard,'' he said.

Yamaguchi, who won gold in the 1992 Winter Games, had the top score for women with a 98.4. Katerina Witt of Team Europe was second at 97.2.

''Team USA skated about as well as we could have and Team Canada was just awesome,'' said Yamaguchi. ''I was pleased.''

Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, silver medalists in the 1992 Olympics, finished first in pairs for Team Russia with a 98.7. Canada's Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler finished second in pairs.