Kwan triumphs in return

BOSTON – With the Turin Olympics looming, five-time world champion Michelle Kwan appears to be recovering nicely from her hip injury.

Kwan won the women’s competition at the Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating Challenge on Sunday.

Fans determined the winner by voting in the stands and via phone and Internet, and Kwan won overwhelmingly, earning 59 percent of the vote in the finals to beat Sasha Cohen.

Kwan, a nine-time U.S. champion whose next appearance will be at the national championships in January, had 47 percent of the vote in the first round, while Cohen received 33 percent to emerge from a field of four.

It was Kwan’s 2005-06 debut and her first performance since injuring her hip in October. Kwan said she still has a long way to go to be ready for nationals, but that her hip has improved tremendously in the past two months.

“I did what I could today,” Kwan said. “Just being out there, it gives me a sense of rhythm.”

Two-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir overcame a fall in his first program to win the men’s competition. Weir earned 64 percent of the fans’ vote in the finals to beat Michael Weiss.

“It was awesome,” Weir said. “Its really, really satisfying to know that people support me and push me forward.”

Though Sunday’s competition counts for nothing on the international stage, the win was an encouraging sign for Kwan, who is seeking her third Olympic medal and first gold in February.

“This is what I have, this is it,” Kwan said. “I can’t change anything that’s happening. This is my body and this is the best I can do. This is your last hurrah. My career’s not that long any more.”

Cohen had two solid routines in finishing second.

“I really had a great time out there,” Cohen said.