Kwan suffers another Olympic disappointment

BARRY WILNER, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Originally published Friday, February 22, 2002

SALT LAKE CITY -- Michelle Kwan's bronze medal was buried deep beneath her thick black sweater, even the ribbon obscured by the scarf wrapped around her neck.

When she finally pulled it out, she grimaced as if she was dragging an ugly, ratty old jacket from the back of a closet.

"It's a bummer," she said. "It was one of those things. It didn't go my way."

It never does at the Olympics. Four minutes away from gold again, Kwan made two major mistakes in the free skate Thursday night and dropped all the way to bronze.

And again, a spunky American teen-ager was standing above her on the podium. This time, it was Sarah Hughes.

"I think I was a little more disappointed in Nagano, just because I skated much better," said Kwan, the silver medalist in 1998 when Tara Lipinski won gold.

"I guess it's different. But both ended up crying."

More like sobbing. Kwan knew she was in trouble when she finished her free skate, and she clutched her dad's hand tight as she waited for her marks.

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