Los Angeles — Look out, Salt Lake City, Michelle Kwan is back on her game.
The most dominant American woman in decades won her sixth U.S. Figure Skating Championships crown Saturday night in magnificent style. And with a pair of 6.0s for presentation, she sent a warning to her chief rivals from Russia.
Joining Kwan on one of America's strongest women's Olympic squads are Sasha Cohen and Sarah Hughes. The teen-agers edged Angela Nikodinov to earn their first Olympic berths.
No one blocks out distractions and bad vibes better than Kwan, whose season has been marked by inconsistent performances and a split with longtime coach Frank Carroll. But when the pressure is on at nationals, Kwan has become unbeatable.
"You work for so long and you hope to skate with freedom," she said. "Even though you're 100 percent ready and prepared, you just don't know what to expect."
Kwan's sixth U.S. title tied her for second place on the career list with Theresa Weld Blanchard, who skated in the 1920s, and Gretchen Merrill, whose last crown was in 1948. Only Maribel Vinson, with nine, has more. Kwan, 21, also is the first woman with five consecutive American championships since Janet Lynn (1969-73).
"Just the feeling of it is just incredible," she said. "You just hope that everyone skates well and you come up on top."
Nothing Kwan had done this season indicated she would soar once more at nationals. She won Skate America, but hardly in spectacular fashion. Then she was third at Skate Canada, the first time she was not in the top two at an event since 1996.
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