Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan skated publicly this morning for the first time since she was hurt in an alleged plot to keep her out of the Olympics.
Kerrigan practiced for one hour at an ice rink in her home town. She skated circles and spins and did small hops, and executed a half-axel, smiling and waving her arms in triumph.She had no limp or visible effect from the Jan. 6 attack that injured her right knee.
Today, she performed her long program to an instrumental medley, with spirals and spins but with none of the jumps or other complicated moves she plans for the Olympics.
"Everything's going great, couldn't be better, better than we hoped for," said Kerrigan's coach, Evy Scotvold. "But it's going to be a while before she does her Olympic stuff."
About a dozen reporters were allowed to watch the practice session in the Stoneham Ice Arena where Kerrigan was a junior skater. Police said private guards provided security.
Scotvold said it would be two weeks before she starts to do more complicated maneuvers.
He said she may miss the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.
"We'd love her to be there, but all that matters is how well she can be prepared for Feb. 23 to 25," Scotvold said.
Kerrigan wore black tights and a white T-shirt with the slogan, "No Limits, No Mercy," on the ice. She occasionally consulted with Scotvold during the session. Her father, agent and two brothers also were there.
After holding an unscheduled training session at 2 a.m. EDT Sunday, at which she tested some basic moves, Kerrigan said it was good to be on the ice again.
That was her first time on ice since she was assaulted in Detroit following a practice session at the U.S. Skating Championships.
Investigators said the incident was part of an alleged plot to help her rival, Tonya Harding.
Kerrigan's representatives said she held the early morning training session because she was anxious to test her right knee, which was injured in the attack.
"My knee was a little stiff and it took some time to get loosened up," Kerrigan said in the statement. "But it felt good to be on the ice again."
With Kerrigan at the rink for Sunday's session were members of her family and Dr. Mahlon Bradley, an orthopedic specialist who has worked with her since the assault. Kerrigan skated at the Stoneham Ice Arena, where she trained as a junior skater.
At a news conference Sunday, Harding's coach, Diane Rawlinson, said Harding had written a letter to Kerrigan.
No one returned telephone messages left at Kerrigan's home, but her coach said he was not aware of Kerrigan receiving such a letter.
Another news conference was scheduled for today at 1:30 p.m.
Kerrigan is scheduled to perform a full program before a special panel of judges and officials Feb. 6, and skate in a nationally televised exhibition the same week.
She was to leave for the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, Feb. 9.