ST. LOUIS — After only nine months as a pairs skater, Naomi Nari Nam was simply hoping to catch the judges' eyes for the next Olympic cycle.

She might not have to wait that long.

The 1999 women's silver medalist made a triumphant return to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday night, finishing a close third in the short program with partner Themistocles Leftheris. There are two Olympic spots at stake in Friday afternoon's free skate, and there's less than a point separating Nam and Leftheris from Marcy Hinzmann and Aaron Parchem.

"There's plenty of room for improvement," said Peter Oppegard, Nam and Leftheris' coach and the 1988 bronze pairs medalist with partner Jill Watson. "They're already good and getting better."

Defending champions Katie Orscher and Garrett Lucash are first with 60.65 points. Hinzmann and Parchem scored 57.41 points, and Nam and Leftheris finished with 56.63.

"We had no idea what they meant," Leftheris said. "We both looked at each other and said, `Is that good?'"

Former national champions Rena Inoue and John Baldwin had a dismal outing, with him botching their side-by-side triple toe loop jumps and her falling on a throw triple loop to drop to fourth.

"There's no way we're giving up," Baldwin said. "It's like our coach says, it's not if you're happy after the short. It's if you're happy after the long."

Nam was an adorable, itty-bitty 11-year-old with incredible spins when she won the novice title in 1997. Two years later, she was second to Michelle Kwan at her first senior nationals, and a spot in the Salt Lake City Olympics seemed like a given.

But her body had different ideas. She missed the 2001 nationals with what she thought was a stress fracture in her hip. As it turned out, she'd popped the hip out of its socket and had torn the cartilage — a similar injury to what 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski had.

"I was on and off for a good three, four years," Nam said. "That was the most frustrating part. Doctors said, `You can skate again. No you can't.' As much as it hurt physically, it hurt more mentally. I didn't know what I was going to do, especially at such a young age."

She eventually had the same surgery as Lipinski to correct the problem.

Once she got healthy, Nam wasn't sure what to do about skating. She still loved the sport, but the thought of how much work it would take to get her jump back for elite-level singles was overwhelming.

"I thought I need something new, I need something to get the fire in me, so why not try pairs?" she said.

She knew of Leftheris, who'd shown potential as a pairs skater but had yet to find the right partner. And Leftheris had certainly heard of her.

"Of course I knew about her," he said. "To be honest, I was a little hesitant because she hadn't been in the sport for the last couple of years."

But they quickly realized they had something special, that elusive combination of chemistry and potential that hasn't been seen in an American pair since Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman retired.

"She did take to it very quickly and very well," Oppegard said. "But she also worked very hard at it."

The toughest adjustment has been the side-by-side elements, being able to feel exactly where her partner is instead of having to look for him. Nam and Leftheris were occasionally out of unison Wednesday, especially in their footwork at the end of the program. Their side-by-side spins need some work, too.

But their side-by-side triple toe loops were spectacular, by far the best of the evening. Their split double twist was impressive, too, with her getting so much hang time he could have polished his boots before he had to catch her.

"I wanted to be known as a great pairs skater. And to be good enough to be out on top," she said. "We worked really hard in the nine months we had, and it definitely showed tonight. We pulled it together."

And now they have a shot at the Olympics, four years earlier than they hoped.

"We've not spoken of their potential or their placement at all," Oppegard said. "I've tried to shield them from that."