Showdown On Olympic Ice

The big buzz at the Winter Games in Torino, Italy is about the women's figure skating final Thursday night.

As Tracy Smith reports, Sasha Cohen of the United States is No. 1 heading into the free skate, barely ahead of Russia's Irina Slutskaya after the short program.

But remember 2002, when Michelle Kwan had the lead until fellow American Sarah Hughes skated out from fourth place to win the gold medal?

American Kimmie Meissner is coming on strong heading into Thursday night, and Emily Hughes, who's in seventh, has a family history of Olympic upset. She's Sarah Hughes' sister. Also, Japan's Shizuka Arakawa, the 2004 world champion, is in third.

But, says Smith, to E.M. Swift, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, the fight for gold comes down to just Cohen, 21, and Slutskaya, 27.

The pressure on both women, he says, is unimaginable.

"Irina Slutskaya would become the first woman from Russia ever to win a gold medal in singles," he told Smith. "And so, that's pressure. Sasha Cohen? It would change her life if she got the gold. She's been working for this, certainly for the last four years, but essentially her whole life. That's pressure."

Adding to the pressure on Slutskaya, Smith points out, is that her countrymen will have swept the figure skating events at this Olympics if she takes the gold.

"It's incredible pressure (on both)," says Tara Lipinski, who won the figure skating gold at the 1998 Games.

"To this day," she told The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm Thursday, "I remember going out there, my legs were shaking and I'm like, 'I don't know how I'm going to do this.' So I know what the girls are going through."

What about long shots such as Meissner or Emily Hughes skating away with the gold?

Sports Illustrated's Swift doesn't see it: "I don't think that (they) will win a medal this Olympics. They both skated fantastic, and if they both end up in the top five, which is where Kimmie is now, that would be such a great accomplishment. But I don't think (they're) gonna see the podium."

The battle between Slutskaya and Cohen, Smith points out, might also come down to who is one hundred percent physically."Sasha may have an injury," Swift notes. "She didn't practice (Wednesday) and she had ice on her leg after she skated, and so we're not clear about that. It's obviously not a bad injury, but it has to, I think, be something. And so we don't know how bad that is and how it might affect her."

But 1984 and '88 figure skating gold medalist Katarina Witt, told Storm, "I don't think they should make a big deal out of it. She is great, in great shape. She's physically right there. If she mentally needed a day off, she should take a day off. This one-day practice is not going to do anything except give her some rest to think and to enjoy what's going on and just to go ahead and do her job."

Dorothy Hamill, who won figure skating gold in 1976, told Smith the gold is Cohen's to lose.

"What's not to love?" about Cohen, Hamill asks. "She's a ballerina she's an athlete. She's mature and she's just, pointed toes and straight back, and spins like a top and jumps beautifully, and some of her choreography is so difficult, people don't even know. So if she skates well, it could be hers. So it's gonna be a great competition. I'm excited."

Lipinski and Witt agree with Swift that Cohen and Slutskaya have the inside track.

"I think, in an Olympic event, anything can happen," Lipinski says. "And the long program is really the show. …(But) I really do believe it's going to be between Sasha and Irina.

"You look at Irina, she's a powerhouse. You look at her jumps, they are technically perfect. I used to be terrified of her. And you look at Sasha, and she's such a performer. So they have two very different qualities, and they're two great girls. So I am kind of roosting for both of them."

Witt agrees that, "Anything is possible. But truthfully, my heart goes to both. But a little more maybe to Irina, because it would be a great ending of her career and I want then Sasha to stay in for four more years so we can enjoy her skating."

Editor's note: Katarina Witt is the author of the new book, "Only With Passion." To read an excerpt, click here.