Kwan leads Slutskaya, Cohen after short program

SALT LAKE CITY -- This must be what it was like when Col. Sanders first mixed up the secret recipe; when George Steinbrenner discovered free agency; when Elizabeth Taylor hit upon the idea of alimony as a good career move.

I can rule the world.

Michelle Kwan might not like some of her scores, but they are good enough to put her in first place. (AP)

Or at least their own little corner of the world. That's what Michelle Kwan felt like Tuesday night.

America's reigning ice queen didn't turn in the performance of a lifetime in the women's figure-skating free program at the Winter Olympics. There have been better programs. There are those that will argue there was at least one better performance Tuesday at the Salt Lake Ice Center.

But right here, right now Kwan is the best in the world. She has proven that many times over but never at the Olympics. That's why being No. 1 coming out of Tuesday's short program is so important.

Her first gold in perhaps her last Olympics is within her grasp.

It's a vibe here that isn't likely to go away until late Thursday night when the long program is completed. America, or least the quirky, fussy corner of figure-skating America, wants her to win.

There were standing ovations even before Kwan performed to the musical stylings of Rachmaninov.

"It was like, 'Wait, I didn't skate yet,'" she said.

There were more than 50 bundles of flowers that came streaming out of the stands. Enough plush toys to stock an FAO Schwartz.

"If you continue to use flash photography," a gruff PA announcer said after Kwan's performance, "your camera will be taken from you."

They feel like they know her, have known her for years even though Kwan is only 21. She is the face of your average American household, endorsing yogurt (Yoplait), SUVs (Chevy) and family fun (Disney). She is the heartbeat of the suburban demographic.

"I felt America behind me and that was incredible," Kwan said.

The downside?

"When I walk out I get recognized a lot more than I used to," she said. "I swear, I wear a baseball cap to the store."

Get used to it. Winning Olympic figure-skating gold in this country assures almost a lifetime of icon status. Look at Dorothy Hammill, in attendance Tuesday, still looking pixieish. The last time an American woman didn't win a figure-skating medal was 1964. That year a plane crash killed the U.S. team.

Then Peggy Fleming started the run of medals and of ice skaters in our living rooms.

That is why the pro-American crowd came stoked ready to do a little judge-influencing of its own. Why not bum-rush the Russian judge? Even the Eastern bloc couldn't resist making it all 5.9s for presentation.

Everything is stacked in Kwan's favor if she skates clean on Thursday. She's at home. The past four gold medal winners in the sport have won the world championship in the previous year. That includes little Tara Lipinski, who upset Kwan in Nagano four years ago.

Now, it might be -- no, it should be -- Kwan's turn. Russian Irina Slutskaya is second. Too inconsistent, say the experts. Too second-place, say the numbers. She is a three-time silver medalist in the world championships.

"I think Americans like me," Slutskaya said, "but I'm not favorite like the American girl."

The kids -- Americans Sasha Cohen and Sarah Hughes -- are third and fourth. They are full of verve and vinegar, if not experience.

"I gave myself 5.8s and 5.9s," said Hughes, who got none of either.

"I went out there to attack," Cohen said.

"It's like a fighting game right now," Kwan said. "It's like a race, the money is at the other corner and you just gotta run and grab it. Whoever is fastest, wins. Too bad we're not, like, on a stopwatch."

It was clear from her comments that 1998 is motivating Kwan. She skated too tentatively in Nagano. The past four years have been spent getting back to the seven minutes of skating that will define her career.

"At that moment, it was not a very good thing," she said.

Now she is at peace rolling the dice. Letting her career ride on a 4½-minute long program on Thursday. Win that competition and she will win the gold. She knows time is running out. It will be hard to compete in Italy in 2006 at age 25. She will be past her figure-skating prime. Hughes and Cohen will be hitting theirs.

America gushed for her Tuesday. She would like to continue returning the passion on Thursday.

"I tried to skate from heart, make America proud," Kwan said. "It was an incredible moment."

One that won't end until Thursday night.