With jumps, spins and those majestic spirals, Michelle Kwan showed she is good - and healthy - enough Friday and earned one more run at that elusive Olympic gold medal.
February 7, 2006 (Press Release) --
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - With jumps, spins and those majestic spirals, Michelle Kwan showed she is good - and healthy - enough Friday and earned one more run at that elusive Olympic gold medal.
Kwan sealed the spot on the U.S. Olympic team that she was handed two weeks ago, proving to a five-person monitoring committee that she's recovered from the groin injury that kept her out of the national championships. She performed both her long and short programs in less than a 12-minute span and did every one of her jumps except the triple loop.
The 95-minute session, which included a 45-minute break, was conducted at the East West Ice Palace in Artesia, Calif., her home rink. The session was monitored by U.S. Figure Skating international committee chairman Bob Horen; technical controller Charlie Cyr; world judge Paula Naughton; international judge Lorrie Parker; and athlete representative Brittney Bottoms.
Kwan curtsied to the committee when the session was over, then went to await its decision.
That decision was exactly what she wanted to hear: Kwan is going to Turin.
The five-time world and nine-time U.S. champion has stuck around the last four years in hopes of one more shot at Olympic gold. She went to Nagano and Salt Lake City as the gold-medal favorite, but wound up with silver (1998) and bronze (2002).
She had to ask for a medical bye onto the Turin team after withdrawing from nationals with a groin injury. Her petition was granted - but under the condition she prove to the monitoring committee she's ready to compete in Turin.
Dressed in a black sweatshirt and warm-up pants, with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, Kwan smiled and gave someone a small salute as she approached the ice Friday morning. Once she stepped onto the ice at 11:02 a.m. PST, though, she was all business.
The monitors stood behind the boards where the hockey benches would be, and several U.S. Figure Skating and U.S. Olympic Committee officials sat on the other side of the rink, along with two pool reporters.
Kwan began with some leisurely skating around the ice, then warmed up with some jumps. She did a couple of doubles, then a triple flip, triple salchow and triple lutz. Eight minutes after the session began, she started her long program, Rachmaninoff's "Prelude in C Sharp Minor."
She skipped the first element, probably a double axel, but looked solid the rest of the way. She didn't have her usual theatrical flair, appearing to focus more on technique and execution rather than performance.
She did three triples - one as part of a triple lutz-double toe loop-double toe loop jump combination that earned applause from coach Rafael Arutunian. After the spirals that have become her trademark, she finished the program with a double lutz.
She showed little reaction when she finished and looked serious as the monitors discussed their notes. Only four minutes later, she started her short program. She fell on a double axel, but immediately landed a triple lutz-double toe combination. The landing of her triple flip was shaky, but the rest was solid.
She wore a big smile and a look of relief when she finished the second program. While the committee huddled and examined their notes, Kwan stayed on the ice and did a perfect double axel followed soon after by another one.
After a few mintues, she skated over to the monitors to analyze her short program, looking at how she could enhance the difficulty or execution of her elements. By 11:36 a.m., she was gathering up her jackets and pants and leaving the ice.
After a 45-minute break, she returned so she and the monitors could evaluate the elements in her long program. The focus was entirely on her footwork, spins and spirals, which have specific difficulty levels under figure skating's new judging system.
They began with her straight-line footwork, which had great speed and intricate steps. When she finished, Cyr talked about using the entire surface and Kwan skated over to examine some of her tracings.
After a few minutes of consultation, she went to work on her spirals. As she skated away from the committee, she passed the stereo and reached out with her left hand to flip it on without breaking speed.
Finally, she went through her spins, spending most of the time working at center ice on a flying camel with a front inside edge. Cyr gave her several suggestions, and they could be heard laughing at times.
After a few more minutes of consultation, she tried the spin for a fourth time, changing the angle of her body and her arm position. Cyr clapped and said, "That's it."
Kwan sealed the spot on the U.S. Olympic team that she was handed two weeks ago, proving to a five-person monitoring committee that she's recovered from the groin injury that kept her out of the national championships. She performed both her long and short programs in less than a 12-minute span and did every one of her jumps except the triple loop.
The 95-minute session, which included a 45-minute break, was conducted at the East West Ice Palace in Artesia, Calif., her home rink. The session was monitored by U.S. Figure Skating international committee chairman Bob Horen; technical controller Charlie Cyr; world judge Paula Naughton; international judge Lorrie Parker; and athlete representative Brittney Bottoms.
Kwan curtsied to the committee when the session was over, then went to await its decision.
That decision was exactly what she wanted to hear: Kwan is going to Turin.
The five-time world and nine-time U.S. champion has stuck around the last four years in hopes of one more shot at Olympic gold. She went to Nagano and Salt Lake City as the gold-medal favorite, but wound up with silver (1998) and bronze (2002).
She had to ask for a medical bye onto the Turin team after withdrawing from nationals with a groin injury. Her petition was granted - but under the condition she prove to the monitoring committee she's ready to compete in Turin.
Dressed in a black sweatshirt and warm-up pants, with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, Kwan smiled and gave someone a small salute as she approached the ice Friday morning. Once she stepped onto the ice at 11:02 a.m. PST, though, she was all business.
The monitors stood behind the boards where the hockey benches would be, and several U.S. Figure Skating and U.S. Olympic Committee officials sat on the other side of the rink, along with two pool reporters.
Kwan began with some leisurely skating around the ice, then warmed up with some jumps. She did a couple of doubles, then a triple flip, triple salchow and triple lutz. Eight minutes after the session began, she started her long program, Rachmaninoff's "Prelude in C Sharp Minor."
She skipped the first element, probably a double axel, but looked solid the rest of the way. She didn't have her usual theatrical flair, appearing to focus more on technique and execution rather than performance.
She did three triples - one as part of a triple lutz-double toe loop-double toe loop jump combination that earned applause from coach Rafael Arutunian. After the spirals that have become her trademark, she finished the program with a double lutz.
She showed little reaction when she finished and looked serious as the monitors discussed their notes. Only four minutes later, she started her short program. She fell on a double axel, but immediately landed a triple lutz-double toe combination. The landing of her triple flip was shaky, but the rest was solid.
She wore a big smile and a look of relief when she finished the second program. While the committee huddled and examined their notes, Kwan stayed on the ice and did a perfect double axel followed soon after by another one.
After a few mintues, she skated over to the monitors to analyze her short program, looking at how she could enhance the difficulty or execution of her elements. By 11:36 a.m., she was gathering up her jackets and pants and leaving the ice.
After a 45-minute break, she returned so she and the monitors could evaluate the elements in her long program. The focus was entirely on her footwork, spins and spirals, which have specific difficulty levels under figure skating's new judging system.
They began with her straight-line footwork, which had great speed and intricate steps. When she finished, Cyr talked about using the entire surface and Kwan skated over to examine some of her tracings.
After a few minutes of consultation, she went to work on her spirals. As she skated away from the committee, she passed the stereo and reached out with her left hand to flip it on without breaking speed.
Finally, she went through her spins, spending most of the time working at center ice on a flying camel with a front inside edge. Cyr gave her several suggestions, and they could be heard laughing at times.
After a few more minutes of consultation, she tried the spin for a fourth time, changing the angle of her body and her arm position. Cyr clapped and said, "That's it."
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