Figure Skating: Kurt Browning

Kurt Browning, the men's world figure-skating champion, is a true Canadian mega-star, complete with TV special ("Tall in the Saddle"), video ("Jump"), ad campaigns (diet Coke, Ultra-Wheels) and autobiography ("Forcing the Edge"). The 25-year-old Edmonton native vaulted into the Guinness Book of records in 1988 with skating's first quadruple jump. Since then he's won three world championships, two with dramatic comebacks.

With his unparalleled triple-jump combinations, Browning might have been a prohibitive favorite for Olympic gold; instead, his event looks like skating's most wide-open competition. That's because all those funky jumps have taken a toll on his back. He couldn't even compete in the recent Canadian championships. Other favorites are hurting, too, including Russia's Viktor Petrenko and the United States' Todd Eldredge.

Male figure skating has had what is euphemistically called an image problem. But Browning, observes his longtime coach, has "brought such strong physcial ability to the sport that not many people seeing him skate would say, 'This is just for sissies'." Nonetheless, Browning answers - patiently, if reluctantly - almost as many questions about his private life as Bill Clinton. In his autobiography, he felt compelled to write: "Let me just say, 'I like girls'." Even if Browning wins the gold, his back troubles may persuade him to turn pro. "There is such a thing," he concedes, " as pushing my luck."