You'd think Nancy Kerrigan had seen the last of being a victim back in January. But for those who saw the women's free skate at the Winter Olympics last Friday, you know she was the victim of another crime -- a robbery. In a nail-biting 5-4 decision, world champion Oksana Baiul of the Ukraine won. She shouldn't have.

Why? Both skaters completed five triple jumps. Baiul double-footed the landing on her triple flip, while all of Kerrigan's landings were clean. Both did a triple lutz, their most difficult jump, but Kerrigan's came over three minutes into the program, while it was Baiul's first jump.

The clincher came with jump combinations. Baiul didn't have any -- all of her triples were done alone. Kerrigan had two, one a triple-triple combination. Technically, there is no question she had the edge.

So it came down to presentation, which isn't as easy to argue in technical terms. But Kerrigan's emotional program seems to be more of an artistic stretch than a series of Broadway medleys strung together.

If you saw two incredible performances, who would you give the gold to? A 16-year-old who will be around for at least four more years, or a 24-year-old in her last amateur season, who had never performed better and was whacked on the knee a month ago?

The British, American, Japanese and Canadian judges voted for Kerrigan. The remaining five gave the nod to Baiul. Unlike CBS reported, the German judge wasn't the deciding factor. He just happened to be the last judge on the panel. He gave Kerrigan two 5.8's, while he gave Baiul a 5.7 for technique and a 5.9 for artistry.

This ties them at 11.6, but the judge knew that the artistic mark breaks a tie, so he knew Baiul won on his scorecard -- he didn't tie them.

It's a shame, because Kerrigan proved she is one of the greats. Instead of joining gold medalists, she becomes one who came so close -- Linda Fratianne in 1980, Rosalynn Sumners in '84, and Debi Thomas in '88, still a superb list.

But Kerrigan deserves to be remembered with Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi and Peggy Fleming. A year ago, I wouldn't have put her in the same league. She was a practice skater who never put it all together in a free program. That all changed Friday.

Considering the circumstances surrounding her attack, it is all the more incredible she could do it. I still can't comprehend how she was able to do it. What an athlete.

Watching in amazement on TV, trying to reason how she didn't win, I had a stunning realization. It wasn't the judges' fault. It was ours -- every single American who was disappointed. Unlike comedian Jerry Seinfeld jokes, a silver medal doesn't signify the best of the losers.

What's wrong with the silver, especially when it is earned? At every Olympics, the media focuses on the athletes who are expected to win gold. It becomes an expectation we all have, and anything less is deemed disappointing. This is the true crime, and we are all guilty.

The Games are about competing, about representing your country. Athletes aren't trying to beat each other, they are trying to do their own best. How could any athlete be upset if they did it when it mattered most?

We should be ashamed. The silver will look better to Nancy Kerrigan every day. She is one of the greatest athletes who ever lived.