CHIBA, Japan -- Olympic champions Oksana Gritshchuk and Yevgeny Platov of Russia took their expected lead after the compulsory section of the ice dance competition at the figure skating world championships while in the pairs, injured titleholders Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler lay second.


Gritshchuk and Platov started the competition as red-hot favorites after their chief rivals from Lillehammer decided not to take part, and they justified that position as they easily won both compulsory dances.


Reigning world champions and Olympic silver medal pair Maya Usova and Alexander Zhulin, also from Russia, and Britain's Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, the Olympic bronze medalists, decided there was nothing to be gained from competing in Japan, leaving Gritshchuk and Platov almost certain to take gold.


The only couple capable of pushing them at all, Finland's Susanna Rahkamo and Petri Kokko, who finished fourth at the Olympics, struggled Tuesday and ended the day third behind the French pairing of Sophie Moniotte and Paul Lavanchy.


In the pairs Brasseur, skating with a cracked rib, survived the technical program to go into Wednesday's free program behind Russians Yevgenia Shish-kova and Vadim Naumov, but still in touch.


Holding third are Marina Yeltsova and Andrei Bushkov, ahead of Czechs Radka Kovarikova and Rene Novotny with Germany's Mandy Woetzel and Ingo Steur, world silver medalists last year, fifth.


It had been touch and go for the Canadians, the only titleholders to come to Japan. Brasseur had aggravated her injury, picked up prior to the winter Olympics, and it worsened with every day of practice.


She wore a protective brace and partner Eisler made sure he caught her low down in their spectacular aerial twist.


It looked as if they might even hold the leader after the opening section but smooth-moving Shishkov and Naumov, fourth at the Olympics, had the edge, despite Shishkova tripping after their pair spin.