Tears of joy

Kwan wins Sullivan Award as top U.S. amateur athlete

Michelle Kwan became the second figure skater to win the Sullivan Award. Al Bello/Getty Images

NEW YORK (AP) -- Michelle Kwan had a different reason to cry this time.

Kwan, the most accomplished figure skater of her generation, won the 2001 Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete Tuesday night.

"I'm already a little teary-eyed," Kwan said. "I always wanted to be a legend. ... It feels like a dream come true."

Kwan, who kept her composure, said she was humbled to have won the same award as Dick Button, who took the Sullivan in 1949 -- the only other figure skater to win the award.

Despite her four world championships and six U.S. titles, Kwan might be best known for finishing second behind Tara Lipinski in the 1998 Winter Olympics and third behind Sarah Hughes in the 2002 Games.

"It's not so much about the awards or the medals," Kwan said. "It's about how they'll remember me."

She beat four other finalists for the Sullivan: middle distance runner Alan Webb, holder of the national high school record in the mile; swimmer and Olympic hopeful Natalie Coughlin; Chicago Cubs pitching prospect Mark Prior; and gymnast Sean Townsend. All attended the ceremony, held at the New York Athletic Club.

"I don't plan on getting to legend status for a while," Webb said. "I'm at the beginning of my career."

Coughlin narrowly missed going to the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and hopes to represent the United States in Athens. Prior was the Cubs' second pick in last June's amateur draft. Townsend won the first individual gold at the world championships for an American man since 1979, when Bart Conner won the parallel bars and Kurt Thomas won the floor exercise and high bar.

But Kwan has all of those prestigious titles to her name, as well as millions of dollars in endorsements.

The only gap in her skating resume is that elusive Olympic gold medal.

She has not decided yet whether she will try for gold in 2006 in Turin, Italy. But it's a question she can't avoid.

"I got that four years ago, and I'm getting it now," Kwan said. "A lot of people think I'm older than I am."

She would be 25 then -- old by women's figure skating standards -- and at her fourth Olympics.

In 1994, she was an alternate to the U.S. team as skating officials pondered barring Tonya Harding from going to Lillehammer. Kwan went to Norway and trained for an Olympic appearance that never came when Harding was allowed to compete.

"Who cares? Give it one more shot. I'm not over the hill. If you have the desire, go for it," Kwan said. "I don't think it's necessary for me to make a decision right now."

 

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