A look ahead

Kwan, Lipinski duel for figure skating gold

Posted: Thu February 19, 1998 at 3:15 PM ET

The defending World Champion Lipinski is regarded as the challenger.   Clive Brunskill/Allsport

NAGANO, Japan (CNN/SI) -- Women's figure skating, maybe the premiere event of any Olympic Games, is center stage Friday in Nagano when American rivals Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski skate off for the gold medal in the long program.

It will be a meeting of grace and style vs. athleticism and enthusiasm. Kwan, 17, is the favorite, the leader after the short program. Lipinski, 15, is second.

More than anything, it is a rivalry that promises to be one of the most-watched events at the Nagano Games and could give the U.S. its best finish in women's figure skating since Tenley Albright and Carol Heiss went 1-2 in the 1956 Games in Cortina d'Ampe zzo, Italy.

"Winning would be more than anything I ever imagined," Lipinski said. "I think I would be content with everything after that."

STATS

Men's Giant Slalom Final Results Women's Slalom Final Results Women's 1,000-meter Speed Skating Final Results Women's 4 x 7.5-Kilometer Biathlon Relay Final Results Women's Short Program Figure Skating Results

ALSO

Maier wins men's giant slalom for another gold medal Germany's Gerg shocks self with women's slalom win Timmer golden in 1,000; U.S.'s Witty grabs silver Two more Olympic athletes test positive for marijuana Tomba tumbles hard in GS, questionable for slalom Kwan, Lipinski look unbeatable heading to free skate

MESSAGE BOARDS

Kwan or Lipinski? You make the call on the CNN/SI Olympic Message Boards!

SEARCH CNN/SI

Kwan, the 1996 World Champion, and Lipinski, the '97 winner, are favored, though major mistakes by them could pave the way for Russian Maria Butyrskaya.

Before the Games, there had been talk of an American sweep. But Nicole Bobek, the third member of the strong American trio, fell during the short program and is out of medal contention. Her problems continued Thursday when she fell a dozen times in practi ce and left the ice seven minutes early.

Kwan skated a flawless short program.   Clive Brunskill/Allsport

Friday, each skater will glide through a 4 1/2-minute program, the culmination of years of work for the two teens. Both skated nearly flawlessly in the short program and are confident heading into Friday's finals.

"I saw the American flag," Kwan said after her short program. "I heard people cheering and I thought, `I'm in heaven.' People clapping, billions of people watching on TV and I'm skating. It's just me and the ice. When I'm on the ice, I don't think anybody can stop me."

Competition begins at 5 a.m. EST.

Also notable Friday at the Olympic Winter Games:

• The finals of the four-man bobsled. The crew of USA 1 is in strong position to end a 42-year medal drought. Led by driver Brian Shimer of Naples, Florida, had the fastest time in training Wednesday.

• The semifinals in the men's hockey tournament. The U.S. is out of it, but some great hockey is still left to be played. Canada meets the Czech Republic while Russia and Finland square off.

  The Associated Press contributed to this report.