US figure skating star Michelle Kwan's dream of winning the only
title missing from her illustrious career ended yesterday when she
was forced to withdraw from the Turin Olympics after picking up a
new injury in practice.
The five-time world champion injured her right hip adductor
while landing a triple flip jump in her first pratice session on
Saturday.
The injury bothered her all day and she was diagnosed with
severe groin strain.
"Taking myself off the team is the most difficult decision I've
ever had to make but it's the right decision," a tearful nine-time
US champion Kwan told a press conference.
But she refused to discuss the prospect of ending her
career.
"I can't even think past right now," she said.
"The injury prevents me from skating my best and I've said all
along that if I couldn't skate to the level that I expected from
myself I'd withdraw from the team.
"It's physical pain that is keeping me from performing but also
emotional as well.
"I'd love to compete in my third Olympics, but I think it's all
about the US bringing their best team to the Olympics. I wouldn't
want to stand in the way of that.
"The best thing is to go home and get better. I wouldn't want to
be a distraction."
Her withdrawal has opened the way for 16-year-old Emily Hughes,
sister of 2002 Olympic champion Sarah, to compete.
Hughes finished third at the US nationals but lost her spot on
the team after Kwan was given a medical bye.
She will arrive in Turin next week.
Kwan, 25, insisted that she had felt good coming to Turin
despite her lack of competition this season with groin and hip
injuries.
Her last major event was the 2005 world championships where she
finished fourth.
"I felt good and ready to go," she insisted.
At first she blamed the stiffness she felt after training
Saturday on spending four hours in the cold during the opening
ceremony at the Olympic stadium the previous night.
But as the pain grew steadily worse Saturday she was forced to
consult with US team doctor Dr. Jim Moeller early in the
morning.
Dr Moeller said: "During training yesterday Ms Kwan injured her
adductor muscle in her right hip, commonly called a groin
strain.
"This injury limits her function making it impossible for her to
jump, land and skate, effectively without risk of serious
injury."
Moeller said that the injury was unrelated to prior
injuries.
Kwan won the world title in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003.
She never won the Olympic gold - taking silver 1998 and a bronze
in 2002.
But she insisted that not winning the Olympic gold would not
sully her achievements as the most decorated American skater with
43 championship wins.
"I've learned it's not about the gold, it's about the spirit of
it and the sport," she said.
(China Daily February 13, 2006)