Emily Hughes, 17
Hometown: Great Neck, N.Y.
Short-program finish: Seventh (57.08, personal best)
Long-program personal best: 96.47 (2005)
Career rank: 33
Skinny: Reworked her free skate after stumbling to a third-place finish at U.S. championships.
Medal odds: 75-1.Top-10 finish for Michelle Kwan’s late replacement is a reasonable goal. The Olympics are her first global championship on senior level.
Elene Gedevanishvili, 16
Hometown: Tbilisi, Georgia
Short-program finish: Sixth (57.90)
Long-program personal best: 93.08 (2006)
Career rank: 43
Skinny: Biggest surprise of the short program, where she and Kimmie Meissner were the only two to land triple-triple combinations. Youngest skater in the women’s field.
Medal odds: 50-1. Was only fifth in world junior meet a year ago. Could be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment.
Sasha Cohen, 21
Hometown: Corona Del Mar, Calif.
Short-program finish: First (66.73)
Long-program personal best: 130.89 (2003;world record)
Career rank: 1
Skinny: With no triple-triple jump combination planned, she must rely on compelling artistry and flawless execution to win gold.
Medal odds: 1-5. World silver medalist the last two seasons, Cohen is 8-5 for gold. Has frittered away short-program leads in two nationals and one world championship.
Shizuka Arakawa, 24
Hometown: Miyagi, Japan
Short-program finish: Third (66.02, personal best)
Long-program personal best: 123.99 (2003)
Career rank: 4
Skinny: Blends elegance with ability to land triple-triple combinations, which made her surprising winner of the 2004 world title. Fell to ninth in world last year because of a lack of motivation.
Medal odds: 3-1. Judges gave Arakawa credit for under-rotated combinations in 2004. Received generous scores despite lack of speed in short program.
Fumie Suguri, 25
Hometown: Kanagawa, Japan
Short-program finish: Fourth (61.75)
Long-program personal best: 120.06 (2003)
Career rank: 6
Skinny: Reputation of being “short-program skater” who frequently cannot keep act together in the extra 70 seconds of free skate. Went into two-year decline after consecutive world bronze medals in 2002-03 but came back to beat deep field for her fifth Japanese title this season.
Medal odds: 5-1. Wins gold for honesty after admitting she feels pressure because of Japan’s poor showing (no medals) so far in 2006 Winter Olympics.
Kimmie Meissner, 16
Hometown: Bel Air, Md.
Short-program finish: Fifth (59.40, personal best)
Long-program personal best: 110.80 (2005)
Career rank: 13
Skinny: Plans two triple-triple jump combinations in long program.
Medal odds: 6-1. Did everything right in short program and is skating with the pressure-less freedom and joy that made Sarah Hughes and Tara Lipinski the last two Olympic champions.
Irina Slutskaya, 27
Hometown: Moscow
Short-program finish: Second (66.70)
Long-program personal best: 130.48 (2005)
Career rank: 2
Skinny: Powerful, athletic skater with rafter-rattling lutz and flip jumps. Will throw in a variety of jump combinations. Consistently overscored for presentation.
Medal odds: 1-9. Still the favorite for gold. Seemed angry at judges’ decision to give short program to Cohen.
