Kwan ponders return to the ice after 3-year hiatus

Yet after finishing her degree last November, Kwan almost immediately resumed the serious on-ice training she had abandoned after withdrawing from the 2006 Winter Games because of an abdominal injury. Facing career questions any recent graduate faces, Kwan added an unusual one to the mix.

Should she try to earn a spot at the Winter Games in Vancouver next year?

The answer is not as obvious as in her teen-age years. She doesn't know if she can muster the single-minded determination that drove her to five world titles. Though healthier and stronger than when she left, she isn't sure her body can withstand the pounding it used to take. And, even after three months of heavy training, she remains uncertain whether she can produce her former excellence.

“I want to see how far I can push myself and then make a decision,” she said. “All options are out there. I'm not eliminating anything.”

A return by Kwan, 28, would thrill the legions of loyal fans who adored her as she dominated her sport for a decade, winning nine U.S. championships and earning the distinction, in the minds of many, of being the greatest figure skater of all time. It would also immediately improve the stature of the slumping U.S. women's program, which has sunk to its lowest level in decades with the International Skating Union's world championships set to begin Tuesday in Kwan's hometown of Los Angeles.

And it would set the stage for fabulous theater if Sasha Cohen, a one-time rival to Kwan who also left competitive skating in 2006, similarly decided to come back. She, too, has said she is considering another Olympic run.

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