�What is up with that shirt?!� It was heard all season, everywhere Ilya Kulik went. The program was Rhapsody in Blue. The shirt was vinyl, bright yellow with black splotches, reminiscent of either a giraffe or a jaundiced bovine. Why in the world...?

He was The Next One, the young Russian who had come out of nowhere to win the European championships three years ago, and was now seen as head-to-head rival with Elvis Stojko for Olympic gold. Only twenty years old, and already, the pressure was on.

He was known for falling apart when the pressure was on, though. He�d had so many erratic performances in the past that no one was sure whether he�d be the best in the world or simply another skater with unfulfilled potential.

They were talking more about his costume than his skating, but Ilya Kulik quickly changed that in four minutes of Olympic magic. Every movement was perfectly in tune with the music, every jump flawless. He was art and athleticism combined. At last, The Next One had learned to deliver when it counted.

And what did the 1998 Olympic champion have to say at the post-freeskate press conference in Nagano? Did he speak of his powerful jumps or exquisite artistry, or perhaps of the overwhelming feeling of finally realizing his dream?

No. Ilya Kulik turned to face the group of reporters, many of whom had, earlier in the season, written him off as the inconsistent youngster with the weird shirt.

�I think there will be no more questions about this shirt,� he said. �Because now the shirt has won.�