ESPN Olympic Sports

TURIN, Italy -- No Russian sweep, no American streak. Shizuka Arakawa put Japan, of all countries, on top of the figure skating world.

With an elegant free skate featuring superb spirals and brilliant interpretation of her music -- and no falls -- Arakawa gave her nation its first-ever gold medal in figure skating Thursday night. It was also Japan's first medal of the Turin Olympics.

Sasha Cohen, trying to give the United States its third straight women's figure skating gold, got silver instead, flubbing her chance to win with two falls in the first minute of her program.

Irina Slutskaya, who could have secured a Russian monopoly of the skating titles, finished third. The three skaters were separated by just .71 points after the short program.

While Arakawa was a clear winner, it was an upset. Perhaps not as huge as Sarah Hughes in 2002, but unexpected nonetheless.

"Right now I'm just so surprised about all of this that I'm speechless," Arakawa said. "I never expected that I would be the first one to win a medal for Japan, so I didn't feel that pressure. But I'm very happy that I am the one who won it."

She won it, but her closest rivals blew it, too.

It's a nasty habit Cohen can't seem to kick.

She let the 2003 and 2004 national championships slip away from her, with Michelle Kwan winning. The 2004 worlds went to Arakawa when Cohen was in position for gold. The Salt Lake City Olympics were winnable as well, but she faded from third after the short program to fourth overall.

Even her first U.S. title carried a question mark because nine-time national champion Kwan was sidelined by injury.

Now Cohen has fallen short in Turin.

"I'm not really angry, I'm kind of on a letdown," she said. "I'll kind of dwell, and everything will sink in.

"Ultimately, it's four minutes of one day in my life. I look back on the past four years and I've had such an incredible journey and this process. I've grown so much as a person and as an athlete. I've become stronger and tougher than I think I am, and I have to be proud of all those things and take that with me into whatever else I choose to do."

Slutskaya's four minutes were even more disappointing. She lacked any spark and when she fell on a triple loop, adding gold to her 2002 silver was unattainable.

Instead, the 27-year-old two-time world champ took away bronze, which she claimed was fine.

Her demeanor on the medals stand said otherwise, barely managing a smile and not waving to the crowd. The medal hanging around her neck must have felt like a lead weight.

"I'm just happy what I got. There are some girls who came and competed and got 18th and 20th places. I'm happy I have something."

But it wasn't what Slutskaya came for. Arakawa owned that by nearly eight points.

The 24-year-old Arakawa was mesmerizing, even spellbinding.

She landed five triple jumps, three in combination, but it was her beauty and unparalleled musicality that set her apart. She did not show much emotion on her face, but she spoke it with every other part of her body, from her toes to the tips of her fingers.

Skating to Puccini's "Violin Fantasy of Turandot," her grace was underlined with power. Her spirals were breathtaking, including one that covered an entire half-circle. Other skaters were lucky to get a few feet out of theirs.

And when she did an Ina Bauer, a variation of a spread-eagle that has her in a full backbend while her toes are pointed in opposite directions, the crowd gasped in delight. Maybe the judges, too.

"After I became the world champion in 2004, I continued to skate but I was very confused," Arakawa said. "I wanted to keep going until I felt satisfied with my skating. I'm very glad now that I did choose to continue, and grateful to those who helped me."

That would include her new coach, Nikolai Morozov. In November, Arakawa called Morozov and asked if she could work with him.

"Yes, of course I was surprised," Morozov said. "I thought she could medal. But I didn't think she would win gold."

No Japanese skater had ever done better than Midori Ito, one of Arakawa's idols, who won silver behind Kristi Yamaguchi in 1992. Ito led the cheers of the flag-waving Japanese in the crowd.

Emotionless for most of her four-minute routine, Arakawa broke into a smile that only got bigger when the scores were flashed. When her personal best of 125.32 points for the free skate were displayed, she flashed a "V" for victory sign then pumped her fist when she moved into first place with 191.34 points.

That was more than enough when Cohen and Slutskaya struggled.

Emily Hughes, Sarah's 17-year-old sister, fell on a triple loop and shortened another jump, but her seventh-place finish was remarkable for a newcomer.

"I am really excited about what happened, this being my first Olympics and my first big international. I am taking away a lot from this competition," said Hughes, who replaced the injured Kwan and arrived in Turin just a week before the free skate.

The other American, 16-year-old Kimmie Meissner, wound up sixth, one spot down from her standing after the short program.

"For my first pretty big international competition and the Olympics, I think I did pretty good," Meissner said.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

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