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Biography of Michelle Kwan - Figure Skater
Biography
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Michelle Wing Kwan (Chinese language|Chinese: 關穎珊, pinyin:Guān Yǐngshān) (born July 7, 1980) is a Chinese American figure skating|figure skater who has won an unprecedented 42 championships, making her the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history. Picture right: Kwan's reaction after performing a flawless free skate at the 2001 World Championships in Vancouver, Canada. ==Biography== Kwan has won five World Figure Skating Championships|World Championships (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003), the most by anyone in the ladies' division since Carol Heiss (1956 - 1960) with whom she is tied for the most wins by an United States|American. She has won nine United States National Championships (1996, 1998-2005), tying the record for most set by Owen figure-skating family|Maribel Vinson-Owen (1928 - 1933, 1935 - 1937). She has also won a silver in the 1998 Nagano Olympics and a bronze in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Among her many accolades, Michelle received the prestigious Sullivan Award in 2001. Kwan has received a combined total of 54 6.0s from her Nationals and Worlds competitions throughout the years. Born in Torrance, California, Kwan is the third child of China|Chinese immigrants. She was named after the song from the Beatles called "Michelle". At the age of five her love for figure skating began as she followed after her two older siblings (one who played ice hockey, Ron, and one who figure skated, Karen) onto the ice. Kwan's family moved to Lake Arrowhead, California, in 1991 to intensify her training with Frank Carroll, a leading figure skating coach. At the age of 12 in 1992 Kwan passed a test to become a senior level figure skater despite the disapproval of her coach. In 1993 Kwan finished sixth at her first senior U.S. championships, and later that year she won the 1994 World Junior title. ===The Alternate amidst the Scandal=== In 1994, Kwan finished second to Tonya Harding at the U.S. championships, which ordinarily would have earned her a spot on the U.S. team to the 1994_Winter_Olympic_Games|1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. However, that place was instead given to 1993 national champion Nancy Kerrigan, sidelined by an Olympic_Games_scandals#1994_Winter_Olympics|Olympi c_Games_scandals (eventually connected to Harding) after a practice session at those championships. The 13-year-old Kwan went to Lillehammer as an alternate. However, Kwan competed at the 1994 World Championships where Kerrigan and Harding did not appear, finishing eighth. ===The Jumping Bean=== By the end of the 1994 competitive season, Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan and Oksana Baiul as well as other competitors of the Lillehammer Olympics had left the amateur level for the professional ranks, leaving behind a sport badly damaged by the scandals and ready for a new star to help it regain its stature. As a result of the scandal, the U.S. Championship was vacant for Kwan and others to capture in 1995. While Nicole Bobek captured the gold medal at the U.S. Nationals, Kwan made a mark as a "jumping bean" in the World Championships, landing 7 clean triples and placing 4th. ===Development as an Artist=== Following 1995, Kwan and her team thought that she should transform herself from a "jumping bean" to a figure skating artist in order for her to emerge as a gold medal Olympic champion. This transformation manifested itself in her new competitive programs, Romanza (short program) and Salome' (free skate), Kwan proved that she was a major contender for the World title. In 1996, Kwan won the U.S. Championships and the World Championships. In the latter event she edged out defending champion Lu Chen from China in a close competition in which both competitors's marks for the free skate included perfect 6.0s. In the 1996-97 season, Kwan skated to "Dream of Desdemona" (short program) and "Taj Mahal" (free skate). It was during this year that Michelle Kwan debuted the change of edge spiral in her short program which is still considered her signature move. However, in this season, Kwan struggled with her jumps because she wore new skating boots as a result of an endorsement with a skate company. She fell 3 times in her free skate at 1997 U.S. Nationals and refused to be interviewed with the other medalists on the ABC broadcast. She lost Champion Series Final and World titles to Tara Lipinski. Kwan regained her U.S. title from Lipinski at the 1998 championships, in spite of competing with a toe injury. Many people consider her performances of her Rachmaninoff short program and free skate set to William Alwyn's "Lyra Angelica" at the 1998 U.S. Championships to be the high point of her career from both a technical and artistic standpoint. Although she was the favorite to win the 1998_Winter_Olympic_Games|1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, Kwan was again out-skated by Lipinski, then 15, with Kwan settling for second. However, Kwan then won the 1998 World Championships, in which Lipinski did not compete. ===New Challengers Emerge: Russians and Baby Ballerinas=== While Lipinski turned professional shortly after the Olympics in 1998, Kwan continued to compete as an eligible skater. In the 1998-99 season, Kwan skated to "Fate of Carmen" (short program) and "Lamento D'Ariane" (free skate). At the 1999 U.S. Championships, Kwan attained her third title, landing a triple toe loop / triple toe loop combination despite an uncharacteristic fall on her second triple lutz at the end of her program. At the 1999 World Championships, however, Kwan made two major errors in the short program and minor errors in the long program and lost to Maria Butyrskaya. Kwan win at the 2000 U.S. Nationals was controversial. She fell in the short program but was kept in the top three anyway. She defeated Sasha Cohen, a young skater known as a "baby ballerina". At the 2000 World Championships, after the short program, Butyrskaya was first with Irina Slutskaya second, while while Kwan was in third after a flawed "A Day in The Life" short program. Kwan's fate was not completely in her hands; in order to win the title she would have to win the free skate and have someone else beat Butyrskaya as well. In her free skate to music from the film "The Red Violin", Kwan landed seven triples, including a triple toe loop / triple toe loop combination. This was enough for Kwan to win both the free skate and world title as Butyrskaya finished only third in the free skating. In 2001, while Cohen sat injured, other competitors Sarah Hughes and Angela Nikodinov challenged Kwan for the national title but Kwan again won the U.S. Championships. Similarly, at the 2001 World Championships, Slutskaya, Butyrskaya, Hughes, and Nikodinov, all challenged Kwan for the title. In the short program Kwan was second to Slutskaya, skating to music from the "East of Eden" TV adaptation. Kwan battled back to win the title with her "Song of the Black Swan" long program, executing 7 triples including a triple/triple combination, to break the "odd year curse" that she had experienced at prior World Championships. ===A Bittersweet "Fields of Gold"=== In the fall of 2001, Kwan and Carroll parted ways. Coachless, Kwan arrived at the 2002 U.S. Championships in Los Angeles with the media's scrutiny over her separation with Carroll and her season's inconsistencies. Proving that she was still a force to contend with, Kwan won the competition with a revived "Rachmaninoff" short program and a new "Scheherazade" program for her free skate. Joining her on the Olympic team were Sasha Cohen (second) and Sarah Hughes (third). The 21-year-old Kwan, along with Russia's Irina Slutskaya, remained the favorites to win the gold medal in the Salt Lake City Olympics. After the short program, Kwan led, followed by Slutskaya, Cohen, and Hughes. In the free skate, a combination of a flawed pressure-filled performance by Kwan (two-footing her combination and failing on her triple flip), the success of another young phenomenon, 16-year-old Sarah Hughes, saw Kwan receive the bronze medal. During the exhibition gala, Kwan skated a tearful, bittersweet performance to "Fields of Gold". Kwan finished the 2002 season second at the World Championships behind Slutskaya. ===Continued Success=== While the question of Kwan's retirement to the professional level continues to linger, she has continued to compete on the eligible circuit. While a new generation of skaters has begun to emerge and present Kwan with new challenges, she has responded in kind; she has added three more U.S. championships (2003-2005: bringing her consecutive streak to an all-time record eight and total to a shared-record nine) and a fifth World championship (2003) to a list of her victories. Coached by Scott Williams, Kwan won all phases of every competition she entered in the 2002-2003 competitive season with her programs: the exotic "The Feeling Begins" (short program) and "Concierto de Aranjuez" (free skate). She won the U.S. Championships again and regained her World title. In 2003, she hired noted technician Rafael Arutunian as her coach, with whom she has attempted to increase the technical difficulty of her programs. In the 2003-2004 competitive season, she skated again to "The Feeling Begins" for her short program, and "Tosca" for her long program. Again, Kwan won the U.S. Championships. At the 2004 World Championships, after a difficult qualifying round, Kwan was penalized in her short program for going a few seconds overtime. Then, just as she was about to start her free skate, there was a disruption caused by a spectator entering the ice surface, who had to be removed by security staff. In the end, Kwan placed third at the championships behind Shizuka Arakawa of Japan and Sasha Cohen. For the competitive season of 2004-2005 for Michelle Kwan skated a long program to the "Bolero" music made famous by Torvill and Dean two decades before, and debuted a new short program "Spartacus." At the U.S. Championships, she won her 9th title, tying the all-time record previously set by Owen figure-skating family|Maribel Vinson-Owen. Interestingly, Vinson-Owen coached Frank Carroll who in turn coached Kwan. At the 2005 World Championship, Kwan saw herself seemingly unprepared and ill-experienced in the new Code of Points judging system which had been adopted by the International Skating Union. Many experts said she resisted the change and refused to accept it. Although the new judging system had been used on the Grand Prix competition circuit for the previous two seasons, Kwan had chosen not to compete at those events. Her qualifying program was the worst she had ever skated. She didn't even make the final group for the short program. For the first time since 1995, Kwan finished off the podium at the World Championships, in 4th place. ===Looking Ahead=== Kwan looks at the experience in the 2005 Worlds competition as a learning experience in the new judging system. It is unclear if she can adjust her 6.0 style to the new system. She continues to train and has stated that she intends to attempt to qualify for the 2006_Winter_Olympic_Games|2006 Olympic Games in Torino|Turin, Italy. ==Competitive History== Kwan's competitive history spans over a decade, as she has been competing at the national level since she was 12 years old. This table shows her record in the U.S., World and Olympic Championships, along with the other skaters whom Michelle has competed against. Her major wins have all been under the old 6.0 scoring system.
| Competitive Season | U.S. Championships | World Championships | Olympics | Programs |
| 1991-1992 | Junior Level 9. Michelle Kwan |
SP: LP: EX: |
||
| 1992-1993 | 1-G. Nancy Kerrigan 2-S. Lisa Ervin 3-B. Tonia Kwiatkowski 6. Michelle Kwan |
SP: LP: EX: |
||
| 1993-1994 | 1-G. Tonya Harding / later vacant 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Nicole Bobek |
Senior Level 1-G. Yuka Sato 2-S. Surya Bonaly 3-B. Tanya Szewczenko 8. Michelle Kwan Junior Level |
1-G. Oksana Baiul 2-S. Nancy Kerrigan 3-B. Lu Chen * Michelle Kwan served as an alternate to Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan |
SP: Song of India FS: East of Eden EX: |
| 1994-1995 | 1-G. Nicole Bobek 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Tonia Kwiatkowski |
1-G. Lu Chen 2-S. Surya Bonaly 3-B. Nicole Bobek 4. Michelle Kwan |
SP: Yellow River FS: Rondo Capriccioso EX: Greensleeves |
|
| 1995-1996 | 1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Tonia Kwiatkowski 3-B. Tara Lipinski |
1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Lu Chen 3-B. Irina Slutskaya |
SP: Romanza FS: Salome EX: East of Eden |
|
| 1996-1997 | 1-G. Tara Lipinski 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Nicole Bobek |
1-G. Tara Lipinski 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B.Vanessa Gusmeroli |
SP: Dream of Desdemona FS: Taj Mahal EX: Winter |
|
| 1997-1998 | 1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Tara Lipinski 3-B. Nicole Bobek |
1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Irina Slutskaya 3-B. Maria Butyrskaya |
1-G. Tara Lipinski 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Lu Chen |
SP: Rachmaninoff FS: Lyra Angelica EX: |
| 1998-1999 | 1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Naomi Nari Nam 3-B. Angela Nikodinov |
1-G. Maria Butyrskaya 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Julia Soldatova |
SP: The Fate of Carmen FS: Lamento D'Ariane EX: The Red Violin |
|
| 1999-2000 | 1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sasha Cohen 3-B. Sarah Hughes |
1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Irina Slutskaya 3-B. Maria Butyrskaya |
SP: A Day in The Life FS: The Red Violin EX: Hands |
|
| 2000-2001 | 1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sarah Hughes 3-B. Angela Nikodinov |
1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Irina Slutskaya 3-B. Sarah Hughes |
SP: East of Eden SP2: Rush FS: Song of The Black Swan FS2: Miraculous Mandarin EX: | |
| 2001-2002 | 1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sasha Cohen 3-B. Sarah Hughes |
1-G. Irina Slutskaya 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Fumie Suguri |
1-G. Sarah Hughes 2-S. Irina Slutskaya 3-B. Michelle Kwan |
SP:Rachmaninoff FS:Scheherazade EX: Fields of Gold |
| 2002-2003 | 1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sarah Hughes 3-B. Sasha Cohen |
1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Elena Sokolova 3-B. Fumie Suguri |
SP:The Feeling Begins FS: Concierto de Aranjuez EX: Fields of Gold |
|
| 2003-2004 | 1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sasha Cohen 3-B. Jennifer Kirk |
1-G. Shizuka Arakawa 2-S. Sasha Cohen 3-B. Michelle Kwan |
SP: The Feeling Begins FS: Tosca EX: Fallin' |
|
| 2004-2005 | 1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sasha Cohen 3-B. Kimmie Meissner |
1-G. Irina Slutskaya 2-S. Sasha Cohen 3-B. Carolina Kostner 4. Michelle Kwan |
SP: Spartacus FS: Bolero EX: You Raise Me Up EX2: This Used To Be My Playground |
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