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ATTENTION - REPETITION adding type of medal in para two ///

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb 17 (AFP) - After the furore over the pairs and ice dancing and the spell-binding performance of Alexei Yagudin, the focus of Olympic figure skating turns to the battle between US heroine Michelle Kwan and Russian Irina Slutskaya here on Tuesday.

America have one of their strongest women's teams ever, led by 21-year-old Kwan, a four-time world and six-time US champion, who has still to win an Olympic gold medal.

And with a line-up completed by teenagers Sasha Cohen, 17, and sixteen-year-old Sarah Hughes, the US are counting on their women to bring home the goods after winning just one medal here, Timothy Goebel's bronze.

In what promises to be an epic Cold War-style battle, the race looks set to be between the American trio and Russian stars Slutskaya and Maria Butyrskaya.

"Juding from the last Olympics, you never know whose going to come up, so you just have to keep on your toes," said Kwan, who let the Olympic gold slip through her fingers to wunderkind Tara Lipinski four years ago.

"The whole experience, being a little wiser, a little calmer and also not taking it for granted," are what Kwan thinks will help her here.

Butyrskaya and Slutskaya were fourth and fifth respectively in Nagano, and can also benefit from the past experience.

But all eyes will be focused on Kwan and Slutskaya.

The duo have been involved in a see-saw battle from supremacy since 1998, with Kwan taking three world titles since and Slutskaya, always in her shadow, having to settle for silver three times.

Kwan has the psychological edge given that the last four Olympic champions have all entered the Games as world champions.

But this season the athletic Slutskaya had bettered Kwan on four occasions, with the American's erratic start blamed on her shock decision to fire long-time coach Frank Carroll in October and go it alone.

A convincing US-title win, along with the less than convincing performances by Butyrskaya and Slutskaya at the European championships last month has put Kwan back in the favourite's seat.

Slutskaya, looking slimmer than at Europeans, practiced for the first time Sunday at the Salt Lake Ice Center, and hinted that she could be trying some unique jump combinations never attempted before.

"I really want to try to do something interesting," said the 23-year-old Muscovite, who has been working on her artistry.

"I'm ready for the competition. I took one week off after the Europeans. I was so tired. But I feel right now, so good. I hope so anyway."

Slutskaya feels that the pressure will be on the Americans.

"For me competiting in my own country is harder. For those girls there will be pressure. Me I'm free."

But she warned that the Americans cannot expect to have it all their own way. "I just want to say to everyone, don't forget about me."

Despite the pressure Kwan opted against flying back to her training ground of Lake Arrowhead, California after the opening ceremony.

Just as Lipinski discovered four years ago in Nagano, there's a lot to be said from taking in the whole Olympic experience.

Fellow Americans Cohen and Hughes left after the opening ceremony, but rejoined Kwan in training at the weekend.

Kwan has been training alone here with her dad standing close by at practices, but did not feel that the lack of a coach was a disadvantage.

"It's never heard of being coachless at the Olympics," Kwan admitted. "I don't really thing about it too often. You have to do you own thing on the ice.

Despite Kwan holding the favourite's tag Lipinski believes it is still all to play for between the Americans and the Russians.

"You sort of know who's going to be on the podium, but you go out there and it's who can pull it off on the night," said Lipinski, who retired after becoming the youngest ever Olympic champion.

"You just have to go out there and have fun," she adviced the skaters.

The women's short programme takes place on Tuesday with the free skating final two days later.

ea/bb

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