VANCOUVER, British Columbia – It's as if Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze never missed the world championships last year.

	Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman continue to show signs of improving as they point toward the Olympics next year in Salt Lake City.

Showing the same speed, power and style that carried them to world titles in 1998 and 1999, the Russians simply outclassed everyone Monday night to win the pairs short program in the World Figure Skating Championships.

Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China, the silver medalists last year, were in second. Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were third.

Two-time U.S. champions Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman were sixth, while Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn were ninth.

Ina and Zimmerman, in only their third season together, improve with every competition.

But Zimmerman fell on their side-by-side triple toe loop jump, and that was enough to drop them with so many other strong couples.

"I didn't feel solid on my blades tonight," Zimmerman said. "I really wasn't in to my skates. It's really a trivial mistake."

The couple still has a chance at a medal, though. The free skate Wednesday is worth two-thirds of the final score.

"Our focus is so much on the Olympics and we know this is working," Ina said. "We'll build on that."

Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze won the silver medal in the Nagano Olympics and were set to dominate for the next four years. They won their two world championships and just about every other competition.

But their steamroll toward a gold medal came to a screeching halt last season when she tested positive for a banned substance in the European championships. She said it came from cold medicine, but it didn't matter. They were stripped of their European title and did not compete at worlds.

They struggled to regain their magical form this season. Sale and Pelletier beat them twice, including at the Grand Prix final last month.

But once they stepped on the ice Monday night, it was as if the last 12 months simply disappeared.

"I don't remember this. I do not look back at a year ago," Sikharulidze said.

"I think this is our best short program. You need to skate it well all the time, from the beginning, without thinking about mistakes."

Mistakes? There weren't any. Everything they did was just about perfect. While other skaters glide across the ice, they're so quick they seem as if they're flying.

Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze skate with such unison they're like mirror images. And their technical elements are simply breathtaking. On their throw triple loop jump, not only did she travel almost half the width of the ice, but she landed on the edge of her blade with the precision of a knife thrower.

The Chinese might match Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze when it comes to technique -- their throw double twist was so big he could have done a spin or two before she came down -- but they still lack the Russians' polish.

It's little things, like the position of their hands and the pointing of their skates. But skating right after Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze, the difference was clear.

Being different was what gave Sale and Pelletier their electricity. In stark contrast to the traditional classical pieces most skaters use, they skated to the sultry blues of "Forget Paris."

They looked like a couple dancing in a bar, trying to stall last call as long as possible. They moved seamlessly from element to element, skating as smoothly as the smoke that curls along the ceilings of jazz clubs.

Their only mistake was on their side-by-side triple toe loops, when Sale had to put her hand down to keep from falling.

"I'm not upset at all," Sale said. "We're very, very pleased with our performance. We felt great."

The fans certainly helped them. The sellout crowd waved Canadian flags as they took the ice, and gave them a standing ovation when they finished.

"It's overwhelming," Pelletier said. "It's hard to describe. I love it, it's perfect. When you're in the middle of the ice and you see (the crowd), it's amazing."

Defending champions Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov were fourth.