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Pang, Tong win world pairs title

(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-23 09:28

Nakano is new to this group. One of Japan's many rising stars in women's skating, she wasn't even at the Olympics. But with Arakawa on the sidelines along with another Olympian, Miki Ando, Nakano made the best of her opportunity in her first senior worlds.

She received encouragement from 18-year-old countryman Nobunari Oda, who is second in the men's event through the short program in his debut at this level.

"He gave me some good advice," Nakano said. "He said this competition isn't so scary, so don't be afraid."

Italy's Carolina Kostner, the 2005 world bronze medalist who succumbed to the pressure of skating in a home Olympics last month, wasn't much better Wednesday. Kostner, ninth at Turin, showed little spark and cut short several jump combinations to wind up a charitable fourth.

Elena Sokolova, the top Russian at the worlds, was the first skater on the ice after a 6 a.m. practice. She didn't look very lively, hitting only three triple jumps cleanly.

"I skated better than they marked me," she said after placing sixth. "It's sport and sometimes bad things happen, but always we are skaters, we are athletes, and we need to be strong."

The stronger qualifying group, featuring Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen, fellow American Kimmie Meissner, Japan's Fumie Suguri and Yoshie Onda, was scheduled for Wednesday night.