Michelle Kwan took a break from her headlining turn with Champions on Ice to
have lunch with two presidents.
President Bush chats
with figure skating champion Michelle Kwan during a social dinner for
Chinese President Hu Jintao in the East Room of the White House in
Washington Thursday, April 20, 2006. [AP] |
The nine-time U.S. figure skating national champion and five-time world gold
medalist lunched with President Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao on
Thursday. She even sat at the head table with the presidents and Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice, a shock to the double Olympic medalist.
"It was an amazing experience," said Kwan, who missed this season, including
the Turin Olympics, because of injuries. "I was so honored to be at the White
House, let alone be sitting next to President Bush and President Hu and at the
same table as Condoleeza Rice. It was a huge honor."
Kwan was in a receiving line when she was pulled aside by Vice President Dick
Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld to show her a side room at
the White House. She then was the last person introduced to President Bush, who
told Kwan she would be sitting next to him at the luncheon.
When she reached the head table, she did, indeed, find a place card with
"Miss Kwan" printed on it at the seat next to the place card saying "The
President."
"We'll be talking about current events and politics," Kwan said he told her.
"I wanted to say, 'All I do is figure skate. I can give you the current
events of figure skating," Kwan added with a laugh.
She also spoke briefly in Mandarin with President Hu _ Kwan is fluent in
Cantonese, but understands some other Chinese dialects. He asked her how her
injuries are healing.
Coincidentally, Kwan's parents currently are vacationing in China, the land
of her ancestors. She called and woke them to tell her about her adventures at
the White House.
"Your baby girl was sitting next to President Bush," she told them. Kwan's
mother then asked her what she was wearing.
"I couldn't wait for them to turn on the TV in China and see the coverage,
and when President Hu toasted all of us and I was right there," Kwan said. "I
don't think I can ever top that."