ATLANTA -- Add Sasha Cohen's name to the long list of sprites who've tried to knock Michelle Kwan off the podium.

Cohen threw down a mighty challenge at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Thursday night, winning the short program with a nearly flawless performance. Kwan was almost as good, but a slight bobble left her in second place, the first time since 2000 she didn't win the short program.

"It's always exciting when you have a strong field, it pushes each skater to a different level," Cohen said. "It's motivation, and ultimately what brings the best out of you is the best for you. It's not only going to be good for the sport of figure skating, but it takes an individual to new heights."

Kwan has always had a rival to push her. First it was Tara Lipinski, then it was Sarah Hughes. Cohen has tried for years to put her name in that group, and she finally served notice Thursday that she can be a worthy opponent.

She was first with seven of the nine judges, and Kwan and Jennifer Kirk split the remaining two judges. Kirk was third with a saucy, jazzy number that included a triple-triple combination, one of only two in the competition.

"I'm not mad at my performance," said Kwan, who has won six straight U.S. titles and seven overall. "I definitely could have done better. I'm very pleased with how I skated. There's just lots of room to skate better."

Just ask the men. Olympic bronze medalist Tim Goebel is way down in 10th place and probably won't make the world championships team after botching all three of his required jumps. Three-time U.S. champion Michael Weiss is in fourth and will need some help defending his title after splatting on a triple axel.

Almost all of the men spent some time on their backsides, clearing the way for lesser-known Johnny Weir to win the short program. Matt Savoie is second, and Evan Lysacek is third.

Both the men's and women's free skates, worth two-thirds of the final score, are Saturday.

"I've never skated a short that bad in my life," said Goebel, who refused to blame his bad night on the equipment problems that have bothered him all year. "I don't know what happened. I'm much better than that."

After watching the men bumble and stumble, Cohen was like a breath of fresh air.

Cohen has gone through a tumultuous two weeks, switching from coach Tatiana Tarasova to Robin Wagner, former coach of Olympic champion Hughes. Doing that before the biggest competition of the year would cause a mental meltdown in most skaters, but Cohen is thriving.

"I've worked really hard, but I've also had a lot of fun in training. We work hard, but I'm able to laugh about things," she said. "I've had a lot of joy brought back to my skating."

It shows. Her program to "Malaguena" was simply dazzling. All of her jumps looked effortless; she was feather-light and perfectly straight in the air, and she touched down as smoothly as a butterfly landing on a flower.

She changed from her back outside edge to her forward inside edge in her flying camel spin, a difficult move that few others even try. And after doing her required spirals, she threw in one more, a long Charlotte spiral that has her virtually gliding in the splits, her nose touching her shin.

The audience gave her a standing ovation, and she returned the love, waving and blowing kisses before she skated off the ice. She blew more kisses after seeing her marks, 5.6 to 5.9 for required elements, and 5.8 to 5.9 for artistry.

That left a little room for Kwan, but she would have to be perfect. She wasn't.

Skating to "The Feeling Begins," Kwan showed a sense of musicality few other skaters have. When the music was slow at the beginning, so was she. When the tempo increased, she picked up her speed and power until she was practically flying at the end of her program.

But that also might have hurt her. Kwan didn't appear to have enough speed when she went into her double axel, and her landing was far from secure. She managed to save it, but the wobble cost her first place.

"I don't know what it was. I tried to get my feet under me," Kwan said. "It was just a wakeup call for the rest of the program. 'OK, Michelle, no more of those.'"

She was her usual masterful self for the rest of the program. Her spirals had the crowd oohing and aahing, and her layback spin was lovely. But Kwan knew as soon as her music ended that she would be behind Cohen.

"Of course, I'd be more confident if I was in first," she said. "But if I was in first, I'd probably be sitting here saying, 'Oh no, I'm not the underdog.'"