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figure skating n phr 花样滑冰

　　In class, Michelle, a Chinese-American, looks like any other university student. Wearing a baseball cap and no makeup, she's yawning after a sleepless night of studying.

　　But outside of class, Michelle kwan leads a very different life. Just 21 years old. She has already won four World Figure Skating Championships and the 1998 Olympic sliver medal . She stars in skating shows , commercials, TV specials and even a new video game. But Michelle doesn't skate for the money and fame. Since childhood, skating has given her joy-and plenty of challenges.
　　Michelle and her older sister started skating when Michelle was 5 . At age 7, she won her first competition.
　　Coach Frank Carroll first saw Michelle skate when she was 11. He noticed her athletic skills and her joy-and total lack of discipline. Soon after, Michelle and her sister moved to Lake Arrowhead ,California, to train with Frank. Every evening, their father drove two hours to stay overnight with them there. Under Frank's guidance, Michelle developed the discipline and excellence that has made her famous.

Becoming a Champion

　　In 1994, Michelle won the silver medal at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Then she placed eighth at the World Championships. Skating fans quickly fell in love with this carefree 13-year-old.
　Many thought Michelle deserved a medal at the 1995 World Championships. But the judges ranked her fourth. Frank thought the judges would take her more seriously if she appeared more grown-up. So a more elegant Michelle came on the scene in 1996. It worded! With her new look and great skating, Michelle became world champion at age 15.
　　The next year, a talented 14-year-old named Tara Lipinski won both the U.S. and World titles. Everyone started talking about the great new rivalry between Tara and Michelle.

　　In 1998, the Winter Olympics were held in Nagano, Japan. Both Tara and Michelle had dreamed for years of winning an Olympic gold medal. Michelle had beaten Tara at the 1998 U.S. Championships in January. At the Olympics in the champion, and the judges chose Tara. Michelle took home a silver medal.

The Olympic Dream Continue

　Michelle admitted later that she had been more nervous than usual before her Olympic performance. "I think I was just too overwhelmed with everything that was going on," she said . After the Olympics, Tara turned professional. But Michelle decided to keep training for the 2002 Olympics. She has faced tough new competitions such as American Sarah Hughes and Russian Irina Slutskaya. But Michelle has won three more World Championships.
　　"There are a lot of things that are keeping me going to 2002," Michelle has said."I love competing .I love the challenge."Michelle's love of challenges shows as she juggles skating with universtity studies. "I want more than just to be a skater," she says..
　　As a skater ,Michelle has come a long way. She once competed as a talented youngster against mature champions. Now she is the mature champions. "It gets harder every year." She says. But she still finds joy in skating.
　　"It's an amazing feeling just to be out there ,to feel the wind in your face," she says. "Every time I have that feeling, I think, 'This is why I'm here.' "