PHILADELPHIA -- Michelle Kwan sat and watched the scoreboard light up with perfect 6.0s today after a magical performance won the short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Kwan,

Tara Lipinski fell on the ice and in the standings during the ladies short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships Thursday. (AP)

out of competition for two months with a stress fracture of a toe on her left foot, received seven perfect marks for presentation in sweeping the judges panel. And the battle for American women's skating supremacy with Tara Lipinski never really developed as the defending U.S. and world champion fell on her triple flip and dropped to fourth.

"At the end, I said `now I can enjoy the moment, now I can breathe,' " Kwan said. "When all those 6.0s came up, I said, `am I hearing this right?'

"IT WAS ONE OF MY best short programs ever.

It was the 17-year-old Kwan's best performance since she won the '96 world title, when she received two 6.0s in the free skate. It also showed she has recovered sufficiently not only from the injury, which kept her out of competition since Skate Canada in November, but also from the disappointment of not winning the U.S. and world championships and Champions Series final last year.

"It was one of her best moments," coach Frank Carroll said of the short program, skated to music by Rachmaninoff. "Not so much what she did but the way she did it. There was a performing aura about it and it was a pleasure to watch."

Nicole Bobek, the 1995 women's champion, made a strong push to make the Olympic team by finishing second to Kwan in the short program, worth one-third of the total score. Kwan and Bobek were the only top skaters to do clean programs.

"IN THE WARMUP, I WAS REALLY nervous," Bobek said. ``I told myself to relax, take it easy and don't overkill it. It turned out great."

Lipinski, meanwhile, seemed stunned after her performance, which drew marks as low as 5.2 for technical merit.

"I'm disappointed in how I did in the short program, but I am going to go out there Saturday and do a clean program and get back up there," said Lipinski, whose eyes were red as she spoke about the free skate in two days. "I've done it before."

She still has a strong shot at making the Olympic squad. While the winner here automatically gets a berth on the U.S. team for Nagano, the other two women's choices will be left to an international committee that takes into account other competitions.

LIPINSKI, 15, WON THE CHAMPIONS Series final and is, after all, the current world champion.

Third place in the short program went to veteran Tonia Kwiatkowski, who skated first and had only a minor bobble on a landing after her triple flip.

She led until Bobek, last year's third-place finisher in the midst of an impressive comeback, skated to "Zorba The Greek." Her lively routine, punctuated by superb spirals and crisp jumps, put her on top - until Kwan reached perfection.