Well, Two Out of Three Isn’t Bad

The United States got two-thirds of the women’s figure skating sweep it hoped for Friday night, when Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan finished first and second, respectively.

But the third member of the team, Nicole Bobek, was far out of the medals, finishing 17th.

She was also 17th after Wednesday night’s short program.

Bobek, who trains at Lake Arrowhead, landed only one of eight jumps cleanly, falling twice and stepping out of a couple of others.

“I got all turned around,” she told her coach, Christa Fassi.

Later, she told reporters, “I’ve just had a real tough week and, after the short, it was very hard to come back to my senses, to just not give up. I wanted to, it’s very hard not to. But I went out there and said, ‘Forget about it.’ ”

There is speculation that Bobek, 20, will not compete for the United States in next month’s world championships in Minneapolis. The alternate, Tonia Kwiatkowski, has been training in anticipation she might get the call from the U.S. Figure Skating Assn.