"Worry? I have to push that aside," said Kwan, who has one month to prepare for the U.S. Olympic Trials, which also are the national championships at which she could win a record 10th title. "I have to make a decision on my body, too. When it says no - No!"
Kwan, a five-time world champion, beat two-time world silver medalist Sasha Cohen by winning 59 percent of a vote (104,000 votes were cast at the arena, via phone and online). But the three-member celebrity panel (Dick Button, Peggy Fleming and Peter Carruthers) unanimously endorsed Cohen after her clean, fluid programs.
The top three women finishers at the Olympic Trials in January generally make the Olympic team for the Games, which are in February in Turin. A provision in the selection rules, however, would allow Kwan, 25, to petition past the Trials by using an injury bye - provided that doctors could certify that she would be ready to compete at the Olympics.
The U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team does not have to named until Jan. 28. The first Turin Olympic competition for the women figure skaters is the short program Feb. 21.
Kwan did not duck questions about her hip pain.
"It's not the best right now," she said. "You try to stay off pain medication to skate clean.
"It feels better to skate than to walk. ... How am I going to feel when I'm 60, let alone right now?"
Two-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir, who drew 64 percent of the final-round vote Sunday to beat Michael Weiss, said Kwan should not have been expected to be in top form after her layoff.
"She's not going to come here and be perfect," he said. "It's not really the biggest pressure to skate 100 percent here."
The format left plenty of room for fun during skaters' performances, though some had noted how rarely they do live TV shows. The possibility of a wardrobe malfunction had occurred to some of the skaters, though nothing along those lines happened.
Weiss did back flips, interacted with a front-row fan and tossed some ice scrapings at the celebrity panel during his performances.
Cohen came off as relaxed and personable before and after she skated. During her performances, she was dazzling. Her exhibition programs incorporated part of the spectacular "Romeo and Juliet" free skate she is preparing for the Olympics.
She didn't sound perturbed that she lost the fan vote despite having outperformed Kwan.
"At the end of the day, you've got to just be happy with you and what you've done," Cohen said.
Cohen said her hip injury in October was not related to overuse, but the result of a fall on the ice. She returned to competition in mid-November, finishing second in the ISU Grand Prix series' Paris event.
Because of autumn injuries to many of the top U.S. skaters, Alissa Czisny will be the nation's only representative in the ISU Grand Prix Final this week in Tokyo.
Kwan and Cohen advanced to Sunday's final round over Czisny and Emily Hughes.
The quartet is scheduled to be reunited in January at nationals in St. Louis. Kwan has owned the event. When things are up in the air with Kwan, anything can happen.
"It's hard because you want to push," Kwan said. "This is your last hurrah."
E-mail charasta@dallasnews.com
