|
Home >> Kids and Teens >> Sports and Hobbies >> Sports >> Ice Skating >> Kwan, Michelle |
|
Michelle Wing Kwan (Chinese: 關穎珊, pinyin:Guān Yǐngshān) (natural July 7, 1980) is a Chinese American figure skater who has won an unprecedented 42 championships, making her the virtually all adorned figure skater in U.S. history. ''Picture correct: Kwan's reaction when performing a unflawed loose skate at the 2001 Globe Championships inside Vancouver, Canada.
Biography Kwan has won 5 World Championships (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003), the virtually all by anyone in the ladies' section since Carol Heiss (1956 - 1960) with whom she is attached for the virtually all wins by an American. She has won nine United States National Championships (1996, 1998-2005), tying a record for virtually all placed by Maribel Vinson-Owen (1928 - 1933, 1935 - 1937). She has as well won the silver in the 1998 Nagano Olympics & the bronze in the 2002 Salt Flow of any stream City Olympics. Among her several honour, Michelle received a prestigious Sullivan Award in 2001. Kwan has received the concerted amount of 54 6.0s from either her Subject & Worlds competitions throughout a years. Natural within Torrance, California, Kwan is the third child of Chinese immigrants. She was known as fallowing a song from either a Beatles known as "Michelle". At a age of 5 her love for figure skating began when she followed fallowing her ii older sib (of these world health organization played ice hockey, Ron, and of these world health organization figure skated, Karen) onto a ice. Kwan's personal moved to Lake Arrowhead, California, in 1991 to intensify her training by having Frank Carroll, a leading figure skating coach. At a age of Twelve within 1992 Kwan passed a line 1 text to turn into a senior level figure skater despite the disapproval of her coach. Inside 1993 Kwan finished sixth at her first senior U.S. championships, & late that season she won a 1994 Globe Junior title.
The Alternate amidst the Scandal Inside 1994, Kwan finished second to Tonya Harding at the U.S. championships, which unremarkably would keep around earned her the spot on the U.S. team to the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. But, that place was instead given to 1993 national champion Nancy Kerrigan, sidelined by an Olympic_Games_scandals (eventually attached to Harding) fallowing the exercise at victims championships. A 13-month-old Kwan attend Lillehammer as an alternate. But, Kwan competed at a 1994 Globe Championships in which Kerrigan & Harding did non come out, finishing eighth.
The Jumping Bean Per prevent of the 1994 competitory year, Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan and Oksana Baiul as well as more competition of the Lillehammer Olympics experienced left the amateur level for the sales person ranks, allowing behind the sport badly damaged per scandals & quick for a fresh star to help it regain its stature. Following of a scandal, the U.S. Championship was vacant for Kwan & others to capture inside 1995. When Nicole Bobek captured a gold laurel wreath at the U.S. Subject, Kwan processed the mark as a "jumping bean" in the Globe Championships, landing Septet clean & jerk triples and placing Fourth.
Development as an Artist As the result 1995, Kwan & her team thought that she should transform herself from either a "jumping bean" to the figure skating creative person sequentially for her to emerge as a gold laurel wreath Olympic champion. This transformation manifested itself inside her recently competitory computer software, Romanza (short program) and Salome' (free skate), Kwan proved that she was the major competition for the Globe title. Around 1996, Kwan won a U.S. Championships & the World Championships. In the latter event she edged retired defending champion Lu Chen from China in a close competition in which two challenger's marks for the loose skate involved hone Sestet.0s.
In the 1996-97 year, Kwan skated to "Dream of Desdemona" (short program) and "Taj Mahal" (free skate). It was when you took this season that Michelle Kwan debuted a vary of edge spiral in her short program which is still considered her signature move. Notwithstanding, in that year, Kwan struggled by using her jumps because she bore freshly skating boots following of an endorsement using the skate company. She fell Triad days within her loose skate at 1997 U.S. Subject & refused to exist as interviewed sustaining Lipinski & bronze medalist Bobek. She as well misplaced Champion Series Final & Globe titles to Tara Lipinski that season. Kwan regained her U.S. title from either Lipinski at the 1998 championships, around spite of competing by owning a toed injury. Numerous humans assume her performances of her Rachmaninoff short program and loose skate placed to William Alwyn's "Lyra Angelica" at the 1998 U.S. Championships to exist as the high point of her career from either two a technical indicator & artistic viewpoint. Although she was a favourite to win a 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, Kwan was out-skated by Lipinski, then Fifteen, sustaining Kwan winning a silver. Even so, Kwan so won a 1998 Globe Championships, where Lipinski did non compete. Lipinski's subsequent retirement from either eligible skating ended an era of competition for Kwan & Lipinski. While forgoing Lipinski, others stepped as much as get her challenger.
New Challengers Emerge: Russians and Baby Ballerinas When Lipinski turned broker shortly fallowing a Olympics around 1998, Kwan continued to compete as an eligible skater. In the 1998-99 year, Kwan skated to "Fate of Carmen" (short program) & "Lamento D'Ariane" (absolutely free! skate). At a 1999 U.S. Championships, Kwan attained her third title, landing the triple toe loop / triple toe loop combinatiin despite an uncharacteristic of fall on her 2nd triple lutz at the prevent of her program. At a 1999 Globe Championships, still, Kwan mass produced deuce major errors in the short program & minor errors in the long program & misused to Maria Butyrskaya. Michelle Kwan's win at a 2000 U.S. Subject was controversial. Despite a fall around the short program, the judges set her in the top trine in this section, keeping her in contention for the title. Yet, she defeated Sasha Cohen, the immature skater called a "baby ballerina," in a long program to win the 2000 Nationals Championship. At a 2000 Globe Championships, when a short program, Butyrskaya was 1st by using Irina Slutskaya second, while Kwan was inside third fallowing the flawed "A Day in The Life" short program. Kwan's fate was non wholly within her mitts; sequentially to win a title she would use at times to win a loose skate & keep around person else beat Butyrskaya too. Within her loose skate to music from either a film "The Red Violin", Kwan landed seven triples, including the triple toe loop / triple toe loop combination. This wwhen plenty for Kwan to win two a loose skate & globe title as Butyrskaya finished simply third in the loose skating. Around 2001, spell Cohen sat hurt, more challenger Sarah Hughes and Angela Nikodinov challenged Kwan for a national title but Kwan over again won the U.S. Championships. Likewise, at a 2001 Globe Championships, Slutskaya, Butyrskaya, Hughes, & Nikodinov, everthing challenged Kwan for the title. In a short program Kwan was 2nd to Slutskaya, skating to music from either the "East of Eden" TV adaptation. Kwan battled back to win a title sustaining her "Song of the Black Swan" hanker program, executing Sevener triples including a triple/triple combination, to break the "odd year curse" that she got had at anterior Globe Championships.
A Bittersweet "Fields of Gold" In the fall of 2001, Kwan & Carroll parted ways. Coachless, Kwan arrived at a 2002 U.S. Championships around Los Angeles by using a media's scrutiny above her separation by owning Carroll & her year's inconsistencies. Proving that she was however the click to contend using, Kwan won the competition by owning a reanimated "Rachmaninoff" short program & the recently "Scheherazade" program for her free skate. Joining her on the Olympic team were Sasha Cohen (2nd) & Sarah Hughes (third). A 21-season-old Kwan, along by owning Russia's Irina Slutskaya, remained a favorites to win the gold medallion in the Salt Lake City Olympics. When a short program, Kwan led, followed by Slutskaya, Cohen, & Hughes. In the loose skate, the combinatiin of the blemished, pressure-filled performance by Kwan (2-footing her combination & failing on her triple flip), the profits of an additional immature phenomenon, 16-month-old Sarah Hughes, saw Kwan receive the bronze laurel wreath. When you took the exhibition jamboree, Kwan skated a weeping, bittersweet performance to "Fields of Gold". Kwan finished a 2002 year 2nd at the World Championships behind Slutskaya.
Continued Success When a wonder of Kwan's retirement to the agency level continues to linger, she has continued to compete on the eligible circuit. When the recently generation of skaters has begun to emerge & present Kwan using recently challenges, she has responded in a similar way; she has added tierce extra U.S. championships (2003-2005: bringing her sequentially streak to an everthing-instance record eight & sum to the shared-record nine) & the fifth Globe championship (2003) to the names of her triumph. Coached by Scott Williams, Kwan won all phases of each competition she entered in a 2002-2003 competitory year by owning her computer program: the exotic "The Feeling Begins" (short program) and "Concierto de Aranjuez" (free skate). She won a U.S. Championships again & regained her Globe title.
Inside 2003, she hired noted technician Rafael Arutunian as her coach, with whom she has attempted to increase a technical indicator difficulty of her computer software. In the 2003-2004 competitory year, she skated over again to "The Feeling Begins" for her short program, & "Tosca" for her long program. Once more, Kwan won a U.S. Championships. At the 2004 Globe Championships, when a hard qualifying spherical, Kwan was penalized within her short program for running two or three seconds overtime. So, even as she was astir to begin her loose skate, there was a disruption from either the spectator typing the ice surface, world health organization experienced to become flushed by security staff. In a prevent, Kwan located third at the championships behind Shizuka Arakawa of Japan and Sasha Cohen.
For the competitory year of 2004-2005 for Michelle Kwan skated an extended program to the "Bolero" music made renowned by Torvill and Dean two decades before, & debuted the freshly short program "Spartacus." At the U.S. Championships, she won her Ninth title, ligature a completely-instance record antecedently placed by Maribel Vinson-Owen. Interestingly, Vinson-Owen coached Frank Carroll who in turn coached Kwan. At a 2005 Globe Championship, Kwan saw herself on the face of it unwary & ill-got in the newly Code of Points judgment body which had been adopted per International Skating Union. Numerous experts said she resisted a vary & refused to assume it. Although a newly judgement formulas experienced been utilized on the Grand Prix competition circuit for the last ii seasons, Kwan experienced chosen does'nt to compete at victims cases. Her qualifying program was a worst she got ever skated, & she did non place high sufficiency to skate in the final class action for the short program. First since 1995, Kwan finished off a dais at the World Championships, around Fourth place.
Looking Ahead Kwan looks at a case in the 2005 Worlds competition as a learning case in the fresh judgment formulas. She continues to train & has stated that she intends to attempt to qualify for the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.
Competitive History Kwan's competitory history spans across a decade, when she has been competing at the national level since she was 12 years old. This table shows her record in the U.S., Globe & Olympic Championships, along by having a more skaters whom Michelle has competed against. When of September, 2005, her major wins have altogether been under a old Sextuplet.Nought scoring patterns & she has just competed around of these NJS competition.
Key: SP-Short Program, FS-Absolutely free! Skate, EX-Exhibition Program, One-G First Place Gold Laurel wreath, Two-S Second Place Silver, Three-B 3rd Place Bronze Medal
Factoids
Media
Quote
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Michelle Kwan Fan Page Pictures, information, news, and multimedia. Includes her schedule, routines, and awards. U.S Figure Skating: Michelle Kwan Result history from 1992 to present, as well as notes on recent seasons, links to news articles, and awards. U.S. Olympic Committee: Michelle Kwan Biography, accomplishments, and news about the skater. |
© 2005 GeneralAnswers.org