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>> WELCOME BACK TO WHITE RING.
THE LADIES' SHORT PROGRAM IS
UNDER WAY.
FORM HAS HELD THUS FAR.
MARIA BUTIRSKAYA FIRST ON THE
ICE HAS FIRST PLACE.
LU CHEN OF CHINA MIGHT HAVE
BEEN JUDGED A LITTLE LOW BY
SOME OF THE JUDGES.
SURYA BONALY OF FRANCE IS
CURRENTLY THIRD.
I'M VERNE LUNDQUIST ALONG WITH
SCOTT HAMILTON.
IT SEEMS THERE'S A CONSENSUS
THAT MICHELLE KWAN IS THE
OVERWHELMING FAVORITE FOR THE
GOLD AND TARA LIPINSKI FOR THE
SILVER.
>> TARA LIPINSKI IS THE
REIGNING WORLD CHAMPION.
THEY'RE THE TWO BEST SKATERS IN
THE WORLD.
MOMENTUM FAVORS MICHELLE KWAN.
SHE HAD A HUGE SEASON.
THE HUGE WIN AT THE NATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIPS.
IT FAVORS HER A LITTLE BIT.
BUT WATCHING THE PRACTICES,
WATCHING TARA LIPINSKI.
SHE SKATES WITH A LOT MORE
SPEED IN THE SHORT PROGRAM, HER
COMBINATION IS A LITTLE TOUGHER
AND THE TRIPLE FLIP AS A
REQUIRED JUMP IS TOUGHER THAN
MICHELE'S TRIPLE TOE LOOP.
THE BATTLE FOR THE BRONZE,
HOWEVER, ISNTERESTING.
IT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE.
WHEN A SKATER IS GETTING READY
FOR THE SHORT PROGRAM, THEY'VE
GOT JUMP COMBINATIONS AND
EVERYTHING.
THIS IS WHAT'S GOING THROUGH
THE JUDGES' MINDS, FLYING NAMES
ALL OVER THE PLACE.
THIS MANY PEOPLE ARE IN IT FOR
A BRONZE MEDAL.
ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN.
YOU'VE GOT FMER WORLD
CHAMPIONS ON THIS LIST.
IT'S WIDE OPEN.
EIGHT REQUIRED ELEMENTS,
MANDATORY DEDUCTIONS, ANYTHING
AND EVERYTHING CAN HAPPEN.
>> THIS PANEL OF NINE JUDGES
WILL HAVE THE TASK OF MAKING
THE ASSESSMENTS.
>> NORMALLY YOU WOULD THINK
THAT THE FRONT ROW IN ANY
COMPETITION IS THE BEST SEAT IN
THE HOUSE, I WOULDN'T WANT TO
BE SITTING THERE TONIGHT,
THAT'S FOR SURE.
>> AND ON THE ICE IN HER WARMUP
RIGHT NOW, THE WORLD CHAMPION,
15-YEAR-OLD TARA LIPINSKI.
>> SHE LOOKS LIKE SHE'S GETTING
HER FEET UNDER HER.
A LITTLE NERVES AT FIRST, A
LITTLE TIGHT.
BUT SHE'S SKATING WITH A LITTLE
BIT MORE EASE.
A COMBINATION THAT SHE'LL BE
DOING IS TRIPLE LUTZ AND A
DOUBLE LOOP.
AGAIN, SHE HAS TO CONTROL THE
LANDING RIGHT HERE, AND SHE
DIDN'T ON THAT PASS.
>> IT WAS THE FLIP THAT COST
HER AT THE U.S. NATIONALS IN
PHILADELPHIA.
>> AGAIN, THE TOE JUST LOOKED
LIKE IT SLIPPED OUT A LITTLE
BIT AND DIDN'T GIVE HER THE
HEIGHT AND THE NORMAL STRAIGHT
AIR POSITION THAT SHE NORMALLY
HAS.
IT'S ALL TEMPO.
TEMPO, IT'S RHYTHM, IT'S
TIMING.
ANY TIME YOU GET INTO A TEMPO
SITUATION YOU'RE GOING TO BE IN
TROUBLE.
ANOTHER COMBINATION, TRIPLE
LUTZ INTO DOUBLE LOOP.
THE LUTZ, DOUBLE LOOP,
BEAUTIFUL.
>> AND WHILE TARA WARMS UP,
LET'S GO TO TRACY WILSON, WHO
IS WITH LU CHEN.
>> LU, THE TRIPLE LUTZ
COMBINATION GAVE YOU SO MUCH
TROUBLE ALL WEEK IN PRACTICE.
WHAT DID YOU DO TO LAND IT SO
WELL IN THE PROGRAM?
>> WELL, BECAUSE BEFORE I COME
HERE, AT HOME I DID, YOU KNOW,
REALLY GOOD.
AND WHEN I COME HERE, HAVE
LITTLE TROUBLE.
BUT WHEN I GO ON ICE, I JUST
THINK, OK, I CAN DO IT.
IT'S TIME TO SHOW OUT.
>> LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
TAKE ME THROUGH IT.
TELL ME ABOUT IT.
>> WELL, I FEEL REALLY GOOD,
REALLY CONFIDENT.
I KNOW I CAN LAND.
>> IT'S A BEAUTIFUL ONE.
>> YEAH.
>> I UNDERSTAND YOU HAD A
SPECIAL GOOD LUCK CHARM WITH
YOU FOR THIS PERFORMANCE.
TELL ME ABOUT THAT.
>> WELL, I HAD THE LITTLE THE
1995 WORLD FINALS, AND I WIN
AND IT'S MY FRIEND.
HE GIVE IT TO ME, AND I KEEP IN
MY POCKET.
DURING MY PROGRAM, I PUT IT IN
MY JACKET, AND I TELL MY COACH,
***, DON'T LEAVE ME, HOLD THIS
JACKET.
-- OK, DON'T LEAVE, HOLD THIS
JACKET.
THERE'S THIS LITTLE PIG WHERE
SHE'S DOING OLYMPIC.
>> IN LILLEHAMMER WHERE SHE
WON.
WELL, IT'S OBVIOUSLY BRINGING
YOU ALL KINDS OF GOOD LUCK.
HOPE YOU HAVE IT WITH YOU IN
THE LONG PROGRAM.
>> YES.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, TRACY.
TARA LIPINSKI BORN AND RAISED
IN THE PHILADELPHIA AREA.
SHE LIVED IN WASHINGTON TWIP,
NEW JERSEY.
THE FAMILY MOVED TO SUGARLAND,
TEXAS, WHERE SHE WAS 9.
SHE NOW LIVES AND TRAINS IN
DETROIT, WHERE SHE'S COACHED BY
RICHARD CALLAGHAN, TODD
ELDREDGE'S COACH.
SHE WON A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN
LAUSANNE SWITZERLAND LAST MARCH
AT THE AGE OF 14.
YOUNGEST WORLD CHAMPION EVER.
SHE WAS 32 DAYS YOUNGER THAN
SONJA HENIE.
>> NOW SHE SKATES TO THE MOVIE
MUSIC OF "ANASTASIA."
>> THIS IS THE SPIRAL SEQUENCE
EARLIER.
THE AMERICAN WOMEN REALLY TAKE
THIS IS HE SERIOUSLY.
THE POSITION, THE EXTENSION,
FLEXIBILITY.
>> THE COMBINATION COMING UP
NOW, TRIPLE LUTZ AND THE DOUBLE
LOOP.
THE LUTZ, DOUBLE LOOP,
BEAUTIFULLY LANDED.
>> NEXT ELEMENT IS THE TRIPLE
FLIP THAT SHE MISSED AT THE
U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.
CONNECTING STEPS HERE.
TRIPLE FLIP.
A LITTLE CAUTIOUS ON THE
LANDING, BUT WHAT A HUGE
HURDLE.
ALL THE RISK IS BEHIND HER NOW.
SHE HAS A DOUBLE AXEL.
SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY TROUBLE
AT THAT.
SHE KNOWS SHE'S DONE IT.
>> LOOK AT THE JOY ON HER FACE.
>> SHE LOOKS SO TINY.
SHE SKATES WITH SUCH MATURITY.
SHE HAS THE HEART OF A
CHAMPION, AND SHE'S REALLY HAD
A GREAT TIME ENJOYING HER FIRST
OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE.
FINAL COMBINATION SPIN.
LOOK AT THE SPEED, THE
POSITION.
PERFECT SHORT PROGRAM.
TARA LIPINSKI.
>> HER TEAMMATE TODD ELDREDGE,
FOURTH IN THE MEN'S PROGRAM.
HER PARENTS, JACK AND PAT
LIPINSKI, ARE HERE, BUT THEY'RE
HIDING.
WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND
THEM.
TARA LIPINSKI.
SHE CAME AND HAS ENJOYED HER
OLYMPIC GAMES.
SHE STAYED IN THE VILLAGE, I
CHATTED WITH TODD ELDREDGE
YESTERDAY, AND SAID ABOUT TWO
DAYS AGO SHE BEGAN TO REALIZE
THAT THIS WAS AN OLYMPIC EVENT.
>> HI, DADDY.
HI, MOM.
HI, JAMIE, LINDSEY, VICTORIA,
EVERYBODY.
ERIN.
>> SHE REACHES BACK WITH HER
RIGHT LEG, VAULTS, TIGHT AIR
POSITION, GOOD COVERAGE OF ICE.
YOU CAN SEE RIGHT THERE,
CONTROLS THAT EDGE BEAUTIFULLY.
BEAUTIFUL DOUBLE LOOP.
RICHARD CALLAGHAN LOOKS ON
GOING PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE,
PLEASE, YES!
TODD ELDREDGE, HE DID IT THE
HER NIGHT IN HIS SHORT
PROGRAM.
YOU GET PAST THE COMBINATION
AND EVERYTHING JUST GETS A
LITTLE BIT EASIER.
>> PEOPLE THINK THIS MIGHT BE A
WEAKNESS OF HERS, BUT SHE DOES
HAVE INCREDIBLE MATURITY.