The Russians Are Ready To Rock

As long as the rink is frozen, you can count on Russian teams winning medals in pairs and ice dancing. Russian men have even had the golden touch, collecting three championships in the past three Olympics, but oddly enough, no Russian woman has won Olympic gold in women's figure skating.

That dry spell may end in Salt Lake City, if either Irina Slutskaya, 22, or Maria Butyrskaya, 29, skate to their potential. While their shaky performances at last month's European championships bode well for the Americans, Slutskaya has defeated Michelle Kwan each time they have competed this season, while Butyrskaya grabbed...

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