St. Louis – Four years ago in Salt Lake City, Sarah Hughes had the skate of her life and helped knock Michelle Kwan out of an Olympic gold and silver medal. Saturday night, Kwan knocked her younger sister Emily out of the Olympics without even donning a pair of skates.
The U.S. Figure Skating’s International Committee, by a 20-3 vote, upheld Kwan’s petition to grant the nine-time U.S. champion an Olympic berth despite missing the U.S. Figure Skating Championships here with a groin injury.
“The committee felt Michelle had the best chance for a medal at the Olympics,” International Committee chairman Bob Horen said. “The role of the international committee is to win medals.”
As expected, Sasha Cohen, Kwan’s main rival the last six years, won with a score of 199.18. Kimmie Meissner, at 16 America’s new up-and-coming female skater, secured a spot in second at 171.04.
Out is Hughes, 16, but that doesn’t mean she won’t skate in Turin. Horen said a five-member monitoring group will watch Kwan go over her long and short programs to make sure she is fit. The monitoring must take place by Jan. 28, which would be the fourth day of the Four Continents Championships in Colorado Springs.
Horen said Four Continents was discussed in a 45-minute meeting that followed Saturday’s long program.
The five-member committee will consist of Horen, an unnamed athlete and three international judges.
“I assure you the monitors will be as tough as the judges who looked at the competition (Saturday night),” Horen said.
Kwan, 25, has had a horrible 12 months. It started with a fourth in last year’s world championships where the new International Judging System left her confused. She suffered a hip injury in September.
She recovered to compete in one competition – a made-for-TV Marshalls Challenge in Boston Dec. 11. She then suffered a groin injury that sidelined her from jumping for a month until she started again Friday.
Since finishing fourth at Worlds in March, her first time off the world podium since 1995, Kwan has competed only once: winning the Marshalls Challenge.
Horen said the fourth at Worlds was enough to convince the committee that Kwan could win a third Olympic medal in Turin.
“I am very happy that U.S. Figure Skating approved my petition to be nominated to the Olympic team,” Kwan said in a statement. “At the same time, I can empathize with how Emily must be feeling because I was in a similar situation in 1994. I appreciate the faith that U.S. figure skating has placed in me. I am confident that I will be fully ready for the Olympics and look forward to representing the U.S.A. in Torino.”
Of course, it’s just Cohen’s luck to finally win a national title and get upstaged by Kwan again. She has finished second to Kwan four times since 2000, and Kwan has won a record-tying nine times. According to Cohen, it was about time she won one.
“I’ve been to so many national championships and for the first one to take home the gold,” Cohen said. “Just looking at the color on the podium I was like, ‘Wow! This color’s nice.”‘
With Kwan out, Cohen came in as the heavy favorite. She took second in last year’s world championships but missed all last week of practice with the flu.
“Every year I always left nationals a bit disappointed,” Cohen said. “Not there. That’s not where I wanted to finish.” This week didn’t start well but I’m going home excited about preparing for the Olympics.
Staff writer John Henderson can be reached at 303-820-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com.
U.S. figure skating team
WOMEN
Michelle Kwan
Nine-time U.S. champion gets Olympic spot despite her injury.
Sasha Cohen
Finally crowned national champion Saturday night.
Kimmie Meissner
Her risk-taking with two triple-triple combinations and seven triples altogether was rewarded.
MEN
Johnny Weir
Endearingly quirky, not afraid to wear unusual costumes.
Evan Lysacek
Energy and winsomeness on ice reflect his happy-go-lucky personality.
Matthew Savoie
Surprise entrant, he reversed four-year slump with terrific free skate at nationals.
PAIRS
Rena Inoue and John Baldwin
Executed the first triple axel throw in pairs history.
Marcy Hinzmann and Aaron Parchem
Made Games in just their third season together.
DANCE
Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto
First American dancers with strong shot at Olympic podium in two decades.
Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov
Don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize her. She’s now a brunette.
Jamie Silverstein and Ryan O’Meara
Surprise Olympians after surging to third overall after second place in free dance.
