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Is third time charm for Kwan?
By Jenifer K. Nii
Deseret News staff writer
In 1994, Michelle Kwan's Olympic experience was all about steering clear of "the incident" involving Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. Four years later, it was about her heartbreaking loss to Tara Lipinski.
But at this, her third, Olympics, Kwan said she wants her experience to be all about . . . her.
Fancy that. As journalists around the world spun themselves into a speculative frenzy — Will Kwan finally win gold? Can she hold off her American teammates and the powerhouse Russians? Did she ruin her chances when she pitched her longtime coach, Frank Carroll? — Kwan just smiled.
She took reporters and fans for a loop this season, after releasing Carroll and her choreographer, Lori Nichol. Her results were sporadic, ranging from first to third in international competition. At the U.S. Championships last month, she blew fans' hair back yet again, winning her sixth national title in stunning form.
On Friday, she had one more surprise waiting.
Kwan announced during a press conference she planned to remain in Salt Lake City for the duration of the Games, instead of returning to California after the opening ceremonies to train until competition begins Feb. 19.
Her teammates, Sasha Cohen and Sarah Hughes, have elected to clear out of town, favoring the privacy of out-of-state rinks (Lake Arrowhead for Cohen; Colorado Springs for Hughes) to the media-stalked rinks in Utah.
Kwan said she didn't want to waste two days traveling, when the ice and the arenas here suit her needs. And then, she gave what was perhaps a look deeper.
"In '98, it was a totally different experience," she said. "I came in a little late and missed the opening ceremonies. If you go to two Olympics and not march in the opening ceremonies once, well, I think I'd be missing something.
"I've had such a great time," she said. "I walked around the (Athlete's) Village, meeting all the other athletes. I thought I was going to go home after the opening ceremonies. But everyone has been so nice, and I feel comfortable. So I've decided to stay."
This year, Kwan's mantra has been that she needed to "take control," to find out what she could do on her own. Sure, there were sputters and stumbles.
But perhaps there is solace in that she did it her way.
"In 1998, I thought, 'I'm on the podium, but there's one more step higher,' " Kwan mused. "But there's more to life than just a medal. You have to move on. And you make mistakes.
"For young kids, they see people on TV and the whole idea is to be rich or famous," she continued. "That's the wrong idea. For me, I went in for the love of the sport. I wish I could say that winning so many medals will complete me as a person. But how come the richest person, the most famous person, isn't always the happiest person?"
Also, at the press conference:
- All three of the U.S. ladies said they planned to do triple-triple jump combinations in their long program. Kwan said she planned the triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination. Cohen, the current national silver medalist, plans the triple Lutz-triple toe loop. Hughes said she will attempt two: the triple Salchow-triple loop, and the triple toe loop-triple loop.
- Cohen said she will not attempt the quadruple Salchow at the Olympics. Though she maintained she landed "a small percentage" of the four-rotation jumps in practice, she and her coach agreed it was wiser to deliver two clean programs.
E-mail: jnii@desnews.com
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February 9, 2002
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