Carroll Won’t Remain to Watch Kwan

Frank Carroll, who coached Timothy Goebel to a figure skating bronze medal, left Salt Lake City on Friday, without waiting to see former student Michelle Kwan compete for the women’s gold medal next week.

Carroll returned to Southern California for a vacation--but acknowledged he will probably watch her skate on TV “in my own little cocoon, my own little atmosphere.”

Carroll coached Kwan for nearly a decade, guiding her to five U.S. titles and four world championships. She ended their association last October, saying she needed to control her skating and her life.

“I just didn’t want to be around,” Carroll said. “I felt Michelle, once she competes, did not need me to be around and potentially cause a distraction and have people come up to me asking questions.

“I left Tim there to have a great time with the speedskaters he’s made friends with and to enjoy the rest of the Games.”

The women’s competition will take place Tuesday, with the short program, and Thursday, with the long program. Kwan has been practicing in Salt Lake City all week, generally having the ice to herself. However, Sasha Cohen of Laguna Niguel, who returned home to train in familiar surroundings at Aliso Viejo and Lake Arrowhead, was scheduled to return to Salt Lake City late Friday and practice today at the Steiner Ice Arena, the official practice rink.

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Min Ryoung, the South Korean short-track speedskater who was injured Wednesday night when he slid hard into the boards after colliding with American Rusty Smith during a race, will miss the rest of the Games.

Min, 19, was not seriously hurt but bruised and battered enough that the Korean delegation withdrew him from competition.

Taken from the ice on a stretcher, his head in a stabilizing brace, Min was treated at LSD Hospital in Salt Lake City, then released.

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Sweden’s Per Elofsson, still looking for his first medal of the Winter Games, withdrew from Sunday’s 4x10-kilometer men’s cross-country relay because of illness.

Swedish team officials said Elofsson has a cold but hopes to be ready for the 50K classic-style event next weekend.

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Russian goalie Nikolai Khabibulin got the first hockey gold medal at the Salt Lake City Olympics before he even played a game.

In what his fellow players described as an emotional locker room ceremony, Khabibulin was presented with the gold medal he earned as a backup goalie in 1992.

Khabibulin didn’t get his medal then because Coach Viktor Tikhonov took it and kept it for himself.

Khabibulin did not play in any games at Albertville for the Unified Team, but he was on the roster and entitled to a gold medal. As the team assembled to receive medals, Khabibulin was not summoned to the ice.

Tikhonov was photographed wearing a medal--even though only players, not coaches, were entitled to medals.

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Times staff writers Helene Elliott and Mike Kupper and the Associated Press contributed to this report