Kwan vs. Slutskaya duel resumes They have battled for the figure skating world title each of the past two seasons, and Michelle Kwan and Irina Slutskaya were at it again Thursday night at the Goodwill Games. Kwan, who edged her Russian rival both in the 2001 and 2000 world championships, trails Slutskaya following their short program performances at the Brisbane Entertainment Center. Although both women delivered error-free programs, Slutskaya earned higher technical marks, mostly in the range of 5.8 to 5.9. Kwan’s marks were more sporadic, covering a range from 5.5 to 5.8. Slutskaya said she was nervous because the program is new, created at the end of June. Kwan used an exisiting program to “East of Eden” but advised that her camp may decide to roll out a new short program leading to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in just 5 ˝ months. Third entering Saturday’s ladies free skate is Japan’s Fumie Suguri, trailed by 16-year- old American Sasha Cohen, who has not competed since November 2000 while recovering from a stress fracture in her back. Kwan was asked to look ahead to the countdown to her second Olympics. She was silver medallist in 1998. “I have already accomplished a lot in my career,” the reigning Goodwill Games champion said. “You can’t really hope for more. The only piece missing right now is an Olympic gold medal. All I can do is just go for it. I feel good about it now but it’s hard to determine what I’ll be feeling like in 5 ˝ months.”
No. 1 Goodwill Games fan, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie

With finality hanging heavy in the air here in Brisbane, this may be among the few times in a prolific career that American track icon Michael Johnson will fail to veil his emotions behind that famously stoic demeanor.

The countdown to his final competitive event – the anchor leg of Friday’s Goodwill Games 4x400 relay – is reaching a deafening crescendo. Johnson, a week removed from his 34th birthday, knows he is now only a few strides from running off the world stage and into the rest of his life.

“There will probably be nothing else I do in life that will be this exciting and this challenging,” the world record holder in the 200 and 400 meters acknowledged Thursday morning, as his infant son Sebastian chirped in the background. “But that’s part of being an athlete, and I know that life is bigger than just running track. I have a son who is the light of my life.”

Johnson, accompanied in Brisbane by wife and son, plus representatives from Nike and the agency managing his career, IMG/Gold Medal Management, says he will pursue broadcasting opportunities in the near future. Last month, he worked for ABC Sports at the world championships. Corporate appearances, especially in Asia and Europe, also will keep him on the move.

But none of this detracts from his primary mission of the moment – delivering a victory for the men’s relay team at ANZ Stadium Friday night. (Track coverage airs live on TNT’s morning show, beginning Friday at 6:45 a.m. ET).

“I am very focused because I am wearing the USA uniform,” Johnson says. “I always try to represent my country well, and I have three other guys (Antonio Pettigrew, Derrick Brew and Leonard Byrd) depending on me, too.”

If there are any lingering regrets for Johnson they are largely tied to the issues plaguing track and field, although he did recall a bout with food poisoning at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona “as the biggest disappointment of my career”.

Johnson says he fears track has suffered from “a lot of lost opportunities” to make its stars more visible globally because “we’ve struggled for many, many years making the transition from being an amateur to a professional sport.”

SANDS OF TIME: By noon Thursday, the once vibrant beach volleyball stadium near the city’s South Bank Parklands had been reduced to a few remaining mounds of sand. Bulldozers and trucks made quick work of the temporary beach, which was the Games’ most fan friendly venue by far.

HALLOWED HALL: American swimmer Gary Hall Jr., has evolved from antagonist to media darling here in Brisbane. Last year at the Sydney Olympics, Hall’s comment about smashing the hopes of Australian swimmers “like guitars” brought a wave of negative publicity he probably never intended.

The Brisbane Courier-Mail gushed that Hall “ended the swim meet as one of its most popular performers” and was “most obliging with his time.” One such example of that came Thursday morning when Hall met with kids at a youth diabetes treatment facility. Hall was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago, but continues to compete at a world class level.

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