Atlanta ? The rivals come and go, and so do the years. The only constant is Michelle Kwan and her brilliance on the ice.

The “old lady” of figure skating taught her latest challengers a thing or two Saturday night, winning her eighth national title and seventh in a row with a style, grace and determination that no one can match.

And she did it with a pile of perfect 6.0s. Seven of them came for artistry as she swept the nine-judge panel. She has 35 perfect marks in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but they still leave her speechless.

When the marks flashed on the scoreboard, her mouth dropped open and she buried her face in coach Rafael Arutunian’s shoulder as the audience roared.

Only one of the sport’s greats, Maribel Vinson, has more U.S. championships, with nine. Kwan also owns five world championship crowns, tying Carol Heiss Jenkins for the most titles by an American woman.

“I don’t know what to say. I just don’t know,” Kwan said. “I’ve not swallowed the whole evening in quite yet.”

Kwan, 23, won her first national title in 1996 at age 15. Eight years later, she remains the gold standard in a sport where champions come and go as quickly as the fashions of those quirky costumes.

Though short-program winner Sasha Cohen left Kwan an opening after botching two jumps, Kwan didn’t need it. She was more than good enough to win on her own. Cohen was second. Jennifer Kirk was third.

Weir takes men’s title

Johnny Weir, bouncing back from a horrifying fall a year ago, skated to his first title in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships with a flawless performance Saturday, beating three-time winner Michael Weiss.

As Weir wrapped up his 41/2-minute performance in the center of the rink, the crowd rose to its feet and drowned out the majestic closing of the music from “Dr. Zhivago.”

Weir kissed his hands and slapped the ice, overwhelmed by a program that included two soaring triple-triple combinations — all performed with power and ease.

When the first set of marks flashed on the scoreboard — all 5.8s and 5.9s for technical merit — Weir mouthed, “I don’t believe it.” Weir had the first perfect 6.0 of the competition and nothing lower than 5.7 for artistry.

It was quite a comeback for the 19-year-old, who was first after the short program but had to overcome the demons from his downfall in the 2002 championships.

Weir was second after the short program in Dallas, but never made it through the free skate. A mere 23 seconds into the program, he suffered a mishap that might be seen at a neighborhood rink — clipping the edge of the boards, he went tumbling and hurt his back.