CALGARY, Alberta - Sasha Cohen used a weak performance as the spark for yet another brilliant short program, giving her the lead at the World Figure Skating Championships.
Cohen's "Dark Eyes" brightened her chances for her first world title Friday. The U.S. champion won the short program with a grace and energy missing from her qualifying effort earlier this week.
Although she two-footed her triple lutz in a combination jump, the two-time world silver medalist surged past Canada's Joannie Rochette, Japan's Fumie Suguri and fellow American Kimmie Meissner.
Bulgaria's Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski won their nation's first world gold by taking the ice dancing championship Friday night. Americans Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto added bronze to their Olympic silver medal, finishing behind Canadians Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, who won the free dance.
Denkova and Staviski's melodramatic routine to "Adagio," featured several innovative lifts, and it was just enough to give them the overall edge after winning compulsories and original dance. They were third in the free dance; all three of Bulgaria's medals at worlds - one of each - belong to them.
"It is important for our country for the development of our sport," Denkova said. "Tonight everybody is celebrating in Bulgaria."
Added Staviski: "We didn't dream about it, we worked for this."
The Canadians didn't get a chance to show off their classy, intricate free dance to "Somewhere in Time" at the Olympics. She fell hard after losing her grip on his arms in the original dance, forcing them to withdraw.
But they were mesmerizing Friday night before their countrymen hoping for one gold medal out of these championships.
"The way we skated tonight was memorable," Dubreuil said. "This program, for us, was the masterpiece of our career."
Belbin and Agosto blew their chance to win the first U.S. ice dancing gold in a world championships when they were only fourth in the original dance. They recovered well enough with their fiery flamenco free dance to get the bronze after winning silver in last year's worlds.
"I felt like I allowed myself to enjoy this free dance," Belbin said. "All season long I have been dreading this free dance because I was so nervous."
Olympic silver medalist Cohen felt a shock when she finished third in her qualifying group.
"I think Wednesday shook me up a little bit," she said. "It's not where I wanted to be. Qualifying round was different than it usually is, so that will keep me on my toes (for Saturday's free skate).
"I just have to believe and conquer."
Exactly what coach John Nicks has been telling her, well, forever.
"She just has to skate to her potential," Nicks said. "If she skates to her potential, she will win, everybody knows that. However ..."
However, indeed. Cohen has made a career out of coming up just short in major events, most recently in Torino, where she won the short program, then was surpassed by Japan's Shizuka Arakawa in the free skate. Cohen also dropped from third after the short to fourth at the 2002 Olympics, and has never beaten Michelle Kwan at nationals.
She will skate first in the final group Saturday, giving Cohen little time to get nervous.
Skating to "Dark Eyes" Russian folk music, Cohen's short program wasn't as dynamic as her Olympic performance. But with Arakawa and defending world champion Irina Slutskaya absent, Cohen moved on top by 3.62 points over Suguri. The 16-year-old Meissner was third, 5.58 points back.
Cohen's trademark spirals were long and elegant, and her footwork was so lively the crowd nearly drowned out the music with its clapping.
Suguri, who won her qualifying group ahead of Meissner and Cohen is a two-time world bronze medalist who was fourth in Torino. She scored a personal best of 62.12 in the short program.
"I had a jump mistake, but my skate was better than qualifying," Suguri said. "My skating skills were better, with higher points."
Meissner also got a personal best, 60.17, and was thrilled with her marks for footwork.
"Even though I didn't do my triple-triple, the spins got higher levels and the footwork was level 3," Meissner said. "It has taken me the whole year to do that, so I am glad I finished on a high note."
Rochette, who won the other qualifying group and, coming off a superb free skate that lifted her to fifth at Torino, looked very capable of winning here. A turn between a triple lutz and double toe loop marred her combination, then she did only a single axel, plummeting her to seventh in the short program and fifth overall.
"Of course I'm sad," she said. "I'm capable of much more."
Emily Hughes fell on her triple lutz, didn't do the required combination, and slipped to eighth. The 17-year-old American who replaced the injured Kwan at the Olympics finished seventh there.