Michelle Kwan took a break from her headlining turn with Champions on Ice to have lunch with two presidents.

President Bush chats with figure skating champion Michelle Kwan during a social dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao in the East Room of the White House in Washington Thursday, April 20, 2006. [AP]

The nine-time U.S. figure skating national champion and five-time world gold medalist lunched with President Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday. She even sat at the head table with the presidents and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a shock to the double Olympic medalist.

"It was an amazing experience," said Kwan, who missed this season, including the Turin Olympics, because of injuries. "I was so honored to be at the White House, let alone be sitting next to President Bush and President Hu and at the same table as Condoleeza Rice. It was a huge honor."

Kwan was in a receiving line when she was pulled aside by Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld to show her a side room at the White House. She then was the last person introduced to President Bush, who told Kwan she would be sitting next to him at the luncheon.

When she reached the head table, she did, indeed, find a place card with "Miss Kwan" printed on it at the seat next to the place card saying "The President."

"We'll be talking about current events and politics," Kwan said he told her.

"I wanted to say, 'All I do is figure skate. I can give you the current events of figure skating," Kwan added with a laugh.

She also spoke briefly in Mandarin with President Hu _ Kwan is fluent in Cantonese, but understands some other Chinese dialects. He asked her how her injuries are healing.

Coincidentally, Kwan's parents currently are vacationing in China, the land of her ancestors. She called and woke them to tell her about her adventures at the White House.

"Your baby girl was sitting next to President Bush," she told them. Kwan's mother then asked her what she was wearing.

"I couldn't wait for them to turn on the TV in China and see the coverage, and when President Hu toasted all of us and I was right there," Kwan said. "I don't think I can ever top that."