Take a graceful 21-year-old champion who is hungry for gold and add two feisty, talented teenagers. What do you get? A cutting-edge U.S. women's figure-skating team that has a chance of snagging gold, silver and bronze medals in Salt Lake City.
Michelle Kwan is an Olympic veteran, but she has yet to win a gold. In 1994, she was an alternate and did not get to skate. Four years later, she placed second to teammate Tara Lipinski. "In '98, after the Olympics, I remember wondering, 'That was it??' " says Kwan.
As six-time national champion, Kwan is the favorite, but that doesn't scare Sasha Cohen, 17. "Whether it's realistic or not," says Cohen, "I always want the gold." At the U.S. Nationals in January, she settled for silver. Cohen doesn't plan on settling again. She hopes to be the first woman to land a daring jump known as a quadruple Salchow in competition. That will take strength. Skaters land jumps with a force of up to 10 times their body weight.
Rounding out the U.S. team is Sarah Hughes, 16. Hughes, who is known for her consistency and grace under pressure, landed six triple jumps at the U.S. Nationals.
No U.S. women's figure-skating team has ever swept all three medals, and it won't be easy. Thirty of the world's best skaters will be competing, including the members of a strong Russian team.
On February 21, more than 15,000 fans will fill the Salt Lake Ice Center to watch the women's finals. Russian Maria Butyrskaya says the Americans will hold the home-ice advantage. "I [will] have to be superior—clearly superior—to win," she says. No matter who wins, one thing is certain: The world can expect a night of dazzling skating.