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American Sarah Hughes Wins Olympic Figure-Skating Gold

SALT LAKE CITY (voa) – The third-ranked American figure-skater at the winter Olympics has toppled reigning world champion Michelle Kwan to win gold at the Salt Lake City games.

Hughes, the first of three U.S. medal contenders to skate, was trailing in fourth place before she took the ice Thursday night. But in a matter of minutes she skated what many onlookers are calling the performance of a lifetime, landing seven triple jumps, five in combination.

Irina Slutskaya of Russia took second place and the silver medal. Although Slutskaya is known for her athleticism, her performance Thursday was described as tentative.

American Michelle Kwan, the favorite before Thursday’s performance, placed third. Skating to the music from “Scheherazade,” Kwan fell early on her triple flip and attempted no triple-triple jump combinations. She did, however, display her trademark artistry. Sasha Cohen of the United States finished fourth.

In another major development at Salt Lake City Thursday, the Russian Olympic Committee said it may leave the games early because of a string of adverse decisions against Russian athletes.

Russian Olympic Committee president Leonid Tyagachev says he told International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge that his nation has been “greatly unappreciated” in the Olympics, which conclude Sunday.

Mr. Tyagachev says Russia may decide to skip the 2004 summer games in Athens if its concerns are not addressed by the IOC.

Earlier Thursday, one of the top Russian athletes at the Olympics, cross-country skier Larissa Lazutina, was disqualified from a ski relay event because a pre-race blood test showed her hemoglobin levels were too high.

Meanwhile, the women’s ice hockey team from Canada won gold over the United States. Sweden took the bronze. And Austria’s Stephan Eberharter won the gold medal in men’s skiing giant slalom.

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