updated 2:53 a.m. ET Jan. 15, 2006

ST. LOUIS - Michelle Kwan was given one more chance to chase that elusive Olympic gold. Now she has to prove she deserves it.

While Sasha Cohen earned her spot in Turin by winning the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Saturday night, Kwan needed an assist from a selection committee.

By a 20-3 vote, it gave the nine-time U.S. and five-time world champion a medical bye under the condition she proves by Jan. 27 that she’s fully recovered from a groin injury and able to compete.

“I’m my worst critic,” Kwan said from California, where she watched the championships on television. “If I feel that I can’t be ready, I will pull myself off the team. I’ve said that before and I’m sticking to it. If I don’t believe I can be 100 percent and at my best, I don’t believe it’s good for me to go.”

Cohen and Kimmie Meissner were givens after their 1-2 finish. But the committee took the better part of an hour to put Kwan ahead of third-place finisher Emily Hughes, who was designated an alternate along with Katy Taylor.

“We looked at basically the Olympic selection criteria we’re dealing with ... and we had a healthy discussion,” said Bob Horen, chairman of the International Committee that made the decision.

“... We felt she had a better chance to medal.”

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But Kwan can’t start packing for Turin yet.

If a five-member committee decides Kwan isn’t healthy or fit enough to skate, she would be replaced by Hughes, the little sister of 2002 Olympic champion Sarah. If Hughes can’t go or has had to replace somebody else, Taylor would take the spot. Hughes did get a consolation prize, being put on the world championship team instead of Kwan.

Kwan has been through this before, but she was in Hughes’ spot in 1994. Kwan finished second at those national championships, but was left off the team when Nancy Kerrigan was given a medical bye.

“I’m feeling really, really good,” Kwan said. “I’m very happy U.S. Figure Skating approved my petition. At the same time, I know how Emily must be feeling. I went through the same situation in 1994.”

Kwan said the U.S. Figure Skating doctor who examined her on Friday told her she’d be “100 percent” by the Olympics. She began jumping on Friday, doing a triple toe loop jump and some doubles.

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The women’s competition begins Feb. 21, with the free skate on Feb. 23.

“All this time, from my petition until today, I said whatever the answer is, just get better and keep on doing what I can on the ice,” Kwan said. “I feel I can start jumping any time now. I have to not jump the gun. I have to listen to the doctors’ orders and pace myself so I can peak at the Olympics.”

And, she hopes, have another shot at the elusive gold medal. She has a silver from the Nagano Olympics and a bronze from Salt Lake City.

Though she’s skated sparingly over the last few years and was fourth at the world championships in March, she’s been the face of figure skating for the last decade. And while she may not be the same skater who went to Nagano and Salt Lake City as the gold-medal favorite, she remains a contender.

Even though Kwan finished fourth at worlds, only Cohen has higher scores under the sport’s new judging system. Hughes’ best finish at an international event was a bronze medal at last year’s junior worlds.

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“I think it’s the committee’s job to name the strongest possible team and hopefully if everyone’s in their top form, they probably made the best decision,” Cohen said. “But I also do feel sad Emily won’t have a chance to go because the Olympics are an amazing experience.”

And Cohen will go with the added cache of being the national champion. She finished with 199.18 points, more than 28 points ahead of Meissner.

“I’ve got a lot of silvers in different shoeboxes in storage units all over the place. But I think the gold one will have a special place,” said Cohen, who couldn’t take her eyes off the medal during the awards ceremony.

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