Tanith Belbin and partner Benjamin Agosto are strong contenders to reach the podium in the competition that begins tonight, after becoming eligible for the Turin Games when Belbin's citizenship was expedited by an act of Congress late last year. The three-time defending national champions won the silver medal at the world championships last year.

"We would like to skate as well as possible," Belbin said. "We just want to enjoy the moment competing at the Olympics. Just let's see what happens. We focused on our skating, not on the media and not on the expectations.

Still, the pair could contend for an unprecedented gold medal.

It's not likely, of course, because Russia's Roman Kostomarov and Tatiana Navka are heavy favorites as defending world champions. But in addition to winning silver at the 2005 worlds, Belbin and Agosto are the three-time defending U.S. national champions.

A native Canadian, the 21-year-old Belbin has skated for the U.S.

for six years, but needed the legislative action contained in an appropriations bill to accelerate her naturalization under new rules that were not in place when she first applied for citizenship.

The only U.S. medal in ice dancing was a bronze won by Colleen O'Connor and Jim Millnscq at the 1976 Innsbruck Games.