Kwan has no regrets about Olympics

 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- When Michelle Kwan looks at the list of Olympic champions, she can't help but think her name should be there. Maybe in four years it will change.
 But for now, she'll have to settle for winning other competitions, like this week's World Figure Skating Championships.
 "Some people asked me, 'Are you going to be at the World Championships?' Of course," she said. "I knew I was going to be here because I love competing. I love how you feel when you step on the ice.
 "And I don't think anyone can take that away from me before 2002."
 With Olympic champion Tara Lipinski passing because of a viral infection, Kwan is practically a shoo-in to win her second world title. There are other strong skaters here -- Germany's Tanja Szewczenko, who missed the Olympics with the flu, and Russians Maria Butyrskaya and Irina Slutskaya -- but no one who comes close to challenging Kwan.
 The ladies short program is Friday, and the free skate is Saturday.
 Kwan isn't here on a mission to salvage what she lost at Nagano. The way she looks at it, she didn't lose anything. She won the silver medal.
 "As kids you say, 'Third place is like kissing your mother, second place is like kissing your brother and first is glory.' It's not like that. It's very different," she said. "Every time I look at my medal, I feel like I've achieved something so high I can't say anything.
 "I have no regrets about the Olympics. I feel proud of what I did. I tried my very best and I know that."
 Even if she had a gold medal, she doubts she'd be anywhere else now. While there is talk of Lipinski turning pro, Kwan says that's not for her. Not yet, at least.
 At only 17, this is her fifth World Championships. She's already been to six national championships, winning twice. While other skaters grow weary of the demands of training and the pressure, Kwan thrives on them. And when she watches the up-and-coming 12- and 13-year-olds, she can't help but wonder which one will be her next challenger.
 "I have to make sure I love the sport still and love what I'm doing," she said. "For me, every time I step on the ice, I get the same nerves. I get chills."
 But Kwan recognizes there is life after skating. She'll graduate from high school this summer, and she wants to go to college. While she doesn't want to put off school, she's not sure yet how to balance it with skating.
 Other skaters have -- like Kwan's teammate, Tonia Kwiatkowski. At 27, Kwiatkowski is the grand old lady of figure skating. She went to college and got her degree, yet still stayed among the top American skaters.
 But it wasn't easy, Kwiatkowski said. And she doesn't know if Kwan could manage it with her schedule.
 "I wasn't traveling nearly as much as Michelle," she said. "If I was doing it now, I don't think that I could do it. School depends on the person, and every situation is different. If you can work it out, then it is no problem."
 One option would be for Kwan to take a year or two off, then return and compete in 2002. There's only one problem: She doesn't like that idea.
 But no matter what she ends up doing, Salt Lake City is definitely part of the plan. It's not just that she loves competing. Or that the Olympics are in her country.
 It's that list. She wants one more shot at putting her name on it.
 "There's another golden opportunity sitting right there in 2002," she said. "You just have to have the patience, dedication and discipline to be able to come back in 2002 and fight again."