EVERETT, Wash. — It was supposed to be Evan Lysacek vs. Johnny Weir, but no one told Japan's Takahiko Kozuka.

Kozuka, whose biggest credentials to date included two major junior titles in 2006, leapfrogged them both in the free skate to win the Skate America men's title Saturday night.

In third place after the short program, Kozuka took advantage of gaffes by Lysacek and Weir, who entered the free skate less than a point apart.

Kozuka finished with an overall score of 226.8, while Weir wound up second with 225.2 and Lysacek was third with 223.21.

Earlier in the day, Germany's Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolokowy, the defending world champions, and rising American stars Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker took advantage of mistakes by the leading Russian pair to finish 1-2 in the pairs competition.

Also, South Korea's Kim Yu-Na led a strong field after the ladies' short program, ahead of two Japanese skaters that includes 2007 world champion Miki Ando, and Americans Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto remained in second place after the original dance portion of ice dance — trailing world champions Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder of France.

The ladies free skate and pairs free dance were scheduled for Sunday.

Kozuka, 19, put himself in the hunt for the title with a strong short program. He trailed leader Lysacek by 1.2 points going into the free skate. He fell flat on his opening quadruple toe loop and put a hand down on a triple axel. But he got extra credit for four triples late in his program.

"I'm glad I didn't give up and was able to skate to the end," Kozuka said through a translator. "Even more important than the title, it mean a lot that I showed a good performance. I'm extremely happy."

Weir, skating next, performed with his usual sublime artistry, but stepped out of a planned quadruple toe loop on his opening jump and dropped the third jump in a combination.

"It was just me being stupid and being cautious on what I was supposed to do in the second half of the program," Weir said. "I was really happy I was able to perform today and focus."

Lysacek, skating last, fell on his quad toe loop and under-rotated a triple axel on a three-jump combination. He tried to make up points by substituting a triple jump for a double axel at the end. Still, he got the biggest cheers of the night when he finished. The cheers changed to boos when his score was announced.

Lysacek said he was more disappointed by the crowd reaction than by his gold-turned-bronze. With confusion over skating's relatively new scoring system, "we're trying to get people back in the building," he said.

The 18-year-old Kim earned 69.50 points despite touching down with her hand on a double axel midway through her program. However, no one skated a mistake-free program. Ando, who under-rotated a triple loop and inexplicably fell on a relatively simple step sequence, was second with 57.80 and Yukari Nakano was third with 57.46.

The rest of Kim's program was solid, showcasing her jumping ability. Ando is returning to form after injuries nearly drove her to retirement last season.

The world championship-caliber field includes U.S. national champion Mirai Nagasu, fourth with 56.42. National runner-up Rachael Flatt was fifth and 2006 world champion Kimmie Meissner was sixth.

Meissner, 19, changed coaches and moved from Delaware to Florida after finishing seventh in nationals and last in the Grand Prix Final. She fell on a triple flip early in her program.

"I just got a little anxious," she said.

Savchenko and Szolokowy, skating next to last in the pairs free skate, rallied from second to top Russia's surprise leaders, Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov, by posting an overall score of 180.77.

McLaughlin and Brubaker, the 2008 national champions, were the crowd-pleasers. In third place going into the free skate, they solidified their status as the U.S.'s top pairs team and announced their arrival internationally, finishing second with 172.69 points.

No one skated clean in the pairs, either. Savchenko and Szolokowy were out of synch on a triple salchow and subsequent spin, and Savchenko had a rough landing on a throw. But the pair, the first German world champions since 1997, showed poise and creativity, especially with their lifts.

The Americans lost points on triple toe loop and they had trouble with timing on a spin, but good lifts and high energy, along with a successful throw-triple loop late in the program, helped boost their total, a personal best for the pair.

"Missing my jump was kind of bothering me but overall, it was definitely a good skate," Brubaker said of the routine skated to the music from "West Side Story." "It's a confidence-builder going into Skate Canada."

Mukhortova and Trankov wound up third with 167.67 points. Silver-medalists at last season's European Championships, the pair is hoping to extend a remarkable Russian era of dominance in the sport. Russia has won every Olympic gold medal in pairs since 1964, including a tie for the title in 2002.

Belbin and Agosto had 95.10 points after two of three segments of the ice dancing competition. Delobel and Schoenfelder, the reigning world champions currently in their 19th season together, were first overall with 96.75 points.

Great Britain's Sinead and John Kerr were third with 92.11.

Belbin and Agosto didn't drop despite placing third in the original dance, but had enough of a cushion in points to maintain second overall.