Olympic Games 2006

Two-time champion Tony Stewart likened NASCAR to professional wrestling and accused it of using bogus caution flags to shape races in biting comments made on his weekly radio show in Charlotte, N.C. Stewart's appearance on his Tuesday night show was his first since skipping a post-race news conference in Phoenix. He dominated Saturday night's race but lost after a late exchange of leads with winner Jeff Gordon.

Michelle Kwan withdrew from the U.S. figure skating championships because of a pulled groin muscle, her second major injury this season, and will petition U.S. Figure Skating's International Committee for a spot on the Turin Olympic team and a chance to win the gold medal that has twice eluded her. The nine-time U.S. champion and five-time world champion, a Manhattan Beach resident, said Wednesday she pulled the muscle Dec. 17 and was told not to jump or spin before Jan. 13.

The primary obstacle between Sasha Cohen and her first U.S. figure skating title vanished last week when nine-time champion Michelle Kwan withdrew because of a groin pull. But Cohen has hit an unexpected hurdle: flu. Cohen, of Corona del Mar, was off the ice for three days and performed only pieces of her short program Tuesday during the first official practice at the Savvis Center before the women's competition begins Thursday.

Nami Nari Nam refused to be a victim. As a 4-foot-8, 82-pound bundle of energy and charm, the Irvine resident was 13 when she captivated figure skating fans and finished second at the 1999 U.S. championships. She placed eighth in 2000, seemingly a minor setback, but the pain that developed in her hip that summer launched her on a painful and disheartening path. She initially was told she had a fracture in her growth plate; later, that she had torn cartilage in her hip and would need surgery.

Picabo Street, one of America's most revered Alpine skiing champions, said Tuesday that superstar Bode Miller was "testing the boundaries" of authority but still had time to salvage his image before next month's Olympic Games at Turin. "It's not irreversible, not in my opinion, not with me," Street, the former United States ski team rebel who became a gold medalist, said in a phone interview from Ketchum, Idaho.

NBC and its sister cable channels, USA, MSNBC and CNBC, will televise a record 416 hours of coverage from the Winter Olympics at Turin, Italy, Feb. 10-26, the network announced Tuesday. That's an average of 24 1/2 hours a day over the 17 days. The previous record for a Winter Olympics was 375 1/2 by NBC, CNBC and MSNBC from Salt Lake City in 2002.

Kimmie Meissner looked like a harem girl. Sasha Cohen looked pale and subdued. Just another day at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which will careen toward the unknown today with the start of the women's and men's events. Meissner, 16, who caused a sensation by landing a triple axel a year ago, opened the door to her hotel room Wednesday and found her picture on the front page of USA Today.

Michelle Kwan was examined by a doctor on Thursday, and a report on her condition was sent to U.S. Figure Skating's International Committee to consult tonight while it decides whether to approve her request for a medical bye onto the Turin Olympic team, U.S. Figure Skating officials said Friday. They did not identify the doctor. Kwan, a nine-time U.S. champion, five-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist, withdrew from the U.S. championships after she pulled a groin muscle.

Bryan Berard of the Columbus Blue Jackets tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid in a test administered in November by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency while he was a candidate for the U.S. Olympic hockey team, several sources confirmed Thursday. After attending USA Hockey's Olympic Orientation camp in Colorado Springs in September, the 28-year-old native of Woonsocket, R.I., was named to the preliminary U.S. roster for the Turin Games.

The Flying Tomato has dazzled like never before this winter, chasing his Olympic dream, crushing the competition en route to his early berth on the U.S. snowboard team. Finally, the freckle-faced redhead otherwise known as Shaun White will learn who will accompany him to Italy -- or, as noteworthy, who will be left behind. "Shaun has been riding at a level a bit higher than everybody else," said Bud Keene, coach of the halfpipe team.