Turin – This time, Michelle Kwan’s pain didn’t go away. In fact, in some ways, the pain has just begun.
The woman who U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Peter Ueberroth said “meant more to the USOC than maybe any athlete who ever performed” withdrew from the Winter Olympics figure skating competition Sunday with another groin injury.
Kwan, a nine-time American champion and five-time world champion from Los Angeles, said she suffered the injury during a disastrous practice Saturday when she failed to land three jumps. She was disconsolate at practice, discouraged at a Saturday news conference and sadly resigned to her fate at another news conference Sunday.
“I had to make a decision, and it’s one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make,” she said, “but I know it’s the right one.”
After Saturday, the announcement wasn’t surprising, but the timing was. It took her only until 2:15 a.m. Sunday to make the decision. Emily Hughes, who took third place at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships last month, immediately was called and became Kwan’s replacement for the women’s competition, which begins Feb. 21.
Kwan’s condition never improved Saturday, and after a series of TV interviews she returned to the Olympic Village for physiotherapy, ice treatments and ultrasound. Nearing midnight, she said, “I didn’t feel good” and called her parents and Jim Moeller, the USOC team physician.
He examined her hip area and diagnosed an acute groin strain. He recommended that Kwan not skate.
“At her level, to continue to train and compete would risk further injury,” Moeller said.
Kwan said it was unrelated to the groin injury that knocked her out of last month’s nationals. She petitioned U.S. Figure Skating for a spot on the Olympic team and was granted a spot over Hughes only after Kwan performed her long and short programs before a five-member monitoring committee Jan. 27.
Though the groin injury isn’t career-threatening, Kwan wouldn’t speculate on her future, saying, “I can’t think past right now.” But the Olympic silver and bronze medalist will be 29 during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and a gold is highly unlikely.
If favorite Irina Slutskaya wins here, she’ll be the oldest female Olympic champion at 27 – although no one knows the exact age of 1908 champion Florence “Madge” Syers of Great Britain.
Kwan teared up when asked about the possibility of finishing her career without an Olympic gold medal.
“It was always a dream to win an Olympics,” she said. “As my parents said here, they always want me to be happy. I did my best. I have no regrets. If I don’t win a gold, that’s OK. I’ve had a great career.”
Kwan’s absence doesn’t change the outlook of the women’s competition. Slutskaya, Russia’s two-time world champion, is favored, and U.S. champion Sasha Cohen has replaced Kwan as America’s best woman skater.
Kwan’s unsettled physical status leading into the Olympics made her an outside medal shot, at best. Still, the announcement startled the skating community here.
“I just found out a little bit ago, and my thoughts haven’t had a chance to formulate,” said Cohen, who beat Kwan at the past two world championships. “I know how tough it is to come back from injury and get yourself together, but you know what? It was great that she tried.”
Stepping into the void comes the 17-year-old Hughes, the younger sister of 2002 gold medalist Sarah Hughes. Emily found out about Kwan after Saturday night dinner at a Japanese restaurant in her hometown of Great Neck, N.Y. She had dined on a sushi dish called Sarah Gold Rolls.
Her father took the call from David Raith, the USFS executive director, while the family, including Sarah, sat at the table.
“I could tell by his expression that it was really good news,” Emily said during a conference call. “We were told to keep it sort of a secret. It was hard not to jump up and down, but we left pretty quickly so we could go home and jump up and down.”
Hughes, in her first year of senior competition after taking third at last year’s World Junior Championships, has been reluctant to criticize the USFS system, which allows only the national champion to receive an automatic Olympic berth. While the next two highest at nationals usually get the other bids, the USFS does allow the petition process of which Kwan took advantage.
Hughes’ third-place finish qualified her for the senior World Championships next month in Calgary. She had put the Olympics out of her mind.
“There always was a possibility, but I never thought about that,” said Hughes, who didn’t know when she would arrive in Turin. “The Olympics had already started and I was focusing on worlds. I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll have another chance,’ but now my chance is here.”
Staff writer John Henderson can be reached at 303-820-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com.
