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TORINO -- After winning a gold medal early in the Torino Olympics, 19-year-old U.S. snowboarder Shaun White said he hoped it would put him atop the podium in the eyes of figure skater Sasha Cohen. After practice Monday, the 21-year-old Cohen acknowledged that gold does indeed glitter in her eyes.
White's line: "I'm hoping Sasha Cohen digs gold medals."
So does she? "Um, yeah, I'm fond of gold medals," she said.
Cohen seemed to get a kick out of being asked about White's flirtation. She had been peppered with questions about Olympic stress and her medal goals on the eve of tonight's women's short program.
"I did hear what he said, but I've not seen him," Cohen said. "I think the skiers probably stay in a different village up in the mountains. But I'll probably see him at closing ceremonies."
Well, he's a snowboarder, not a skier. But all that can be sorted out, and maybe they can compare matching medals.
Cohen won the gold last month in U.S. nationals after four runner-up finishes. She has been the silver medalist in the world championships the last two years.
"At this moment, you don't feel any pressure," Cohen said. "I want to have a great time out there and really enjoy it, give it my all and go home just feeling great. I'm not putting the pressure on myself to have to win or to be perfect."
Based on random draw, Cohen skates last among the 29 entrants tonight. She's cool with that.
"Fortunately, I get the latest practice (this morning), so I'll get to sleep a little bit more," Cohen said. "You don't worry about what you can't control."
The USA's Emily Hughes, 17, is in the middle at 15th. The other U.S. skater, 16-year-old Kimmie Meissner, goes second.
Still dreaming: When U.S. ice dancer Melissa Gregory was asked if the Olympic experience was everything she thought it would be, she said, "Well, no, because I always dreamed I was going to be an Olympic champion, and I'm not, not yet anyway. ... But aside from that, yes it is (a dream come true)."
Gregory and her husband, Denis Petukhov, finished 14th.
Multitalented: As she grabbed the remote microphone moments after leaving the ice following her free dance, the USA's Jamie Silverstein asked reporters if they wanted to hear some karaoke. Then she broke into a rendition of Barry Manilow's Copacabana. Given that she had just skated to the music of an emotional and serious Modern Tango, the range she showed was impressive.
Funny, quirky and courageous are how Silverstein will be remembered after these Olympics. It didn't matter much that she and her partner, Ryan O'Meara, finished in 16th place. Afterward, she recognized, as she put it, victories "little and big."
One of those victories was her struggle with an eating disorder, which she has been outspoken about. After a five-year absence from the sport, with her skates growing rusty in the trunk of her car when she went off to college at Cornell, she returned to skating this season with a new partner, O'Meara.
"Overwhelming is the only word that comes to mind," Silverstein said. "This morning, I cried a little bit thinking of the journey I've been through personally and the journey of Ryan and I. Everyone rallied around me this afternoon, and I hope I did them proud."
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