Some Disastrous Competitive Performances

OH NO! I tried to reply to this thread and I accidentally erased it!

A thousand apologies, Skatefan4life.

Did you compose your post in a different file? Can you repost?

Oh, I am so sorry, after you went to all that work. This is the first time I have ever made a mistake like that.

Mathman :banging:

Hi Mathman,

Not a problem...here is the post again.


The ice is a slippery surface – a statement of fact for all skaters. Some of the greatest skaters of all time have had some memorable “whoops” competitive performances throughout the years. Here’s a few that come to mind:

1994 Winter Olympics:
Kurt Browning, the four-time World Champion, was heavily favored to win the Olympic gold medal that had eluded him at Albertville. Kurt came into Lillehamer well-trained and injury-free, and he had two superb programs to lay out to the judges. Alas –Kurt blew his short program, bigtime, with a fall on the triple flip and a single axel instead of a double axel. His technical scores were in the 4’s – absolutely unheard of for a skater was wonderful as Browning – and the marks left him buried him in 12th place heading into the long program. Kurt skated his classy “Casablanca” freeskate and finished fifth overall. Still – no Olympic medal for Kurt, much less the gold medal.

At those same Olympics, Brian Boitano, the 1988 Olympic champion, returned for what he hoped for was another trip to the podium. Indeed, he "tripped", but not the way he wanted to. Boitano fell out of his triple axel/double toe combination in the short program, and his marks left him with virtually no chance for a medal. His long program was solid, but again, he missed his triple axel/double toe combination, and he finished out of the medals.

1989 US Nationals:
Natalie and Wayne Seybold, the brother-and-sister pairs team from Marion, Ohio, who had represented the US at the 1988 Winter Olympics and had finished 10th, came into the 1989 US Nationals as the favorites to win their first title. They led after the short program, but disaster struck in the long program. Natalie fell from a throw triple salchow, he singled their side-by-side double axels, and Natalie then caught her toepick in the “other” skate as she was rotating in the air from her throw triple loop and crashed on the ice. The lace came loose, and they went over to the judges to ask for a reskate. The judges ruled that they had stopped by their own volition, not by an injury or equipment problem, and the Seybolds were instructed to pick up their program where they left off. It was hardly the opportunity they wanted to redeem themselves, but they managed to complete their program. Their scores were generous, I thought, considering the errors they committed, and they finished second behind first-time pairs champions Kristi Yamaguchi and Rudi Galindo. After the competition, the Seybolds said they thought they deserved to win the competition on the basis of their record of having represented the US in two Worlds and the last Olympic Games. And I naively thought that the judges were supposed to judge the performance and not the previous record!

1993 US Nationals:
Tonya Harding showed up about 25 pounds overweight. She fell several times in her long program, but managed to finished fourth overall. The change was astounding – going from the superbly trained athlete who had become the first American woman to land a triple axel to an under trained, overweight skater who couldn’t buy a triple jump. Egads.

1989 Worlds:
Alexandr Fadeyev was in first place going into the long program, and seemed to be a cinch to make the podium. Alas, he singled his opening triple axel, fell out of his triple lutz, and missed two other triples. This long program had won him the 1989 European title, and it was a wonderfully choreographed routine, but it completely fell apart in Paris. Alexandr finished fourth, out of the medals.

These are just a few unfortunate performances that come to mind. Believe me, I winched as I witnessed these routines. All of these skaters were and are so talented, that to see them make these mistakes was shocking, to put it mildly.

Sorry, Mathman but the Seybolds are from Marion, Indiana.
Wayne is still living there and is Mayor of the City of Marion.
I am from a little town 6 miles west of Marion, Sweetser.
I no longer live there :disapp:

Fritz said:

Who can forget Midori Ito falling off the ice into the camera, then quickly getting up jumping back on the ice and finishing her performance. Then at end she goes over to camera/cameraman bows to both and pats the camera. Funny to see it, but glad no one got hurt.

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I never think of this as distarous, rather an example of Midori';s energy.

Disaster performances: Johnny Weir every other year.

Any first try for Sandhu, bet he's happy with Cop for one more chance: ex Skate Canada 2005, and more.

Bobek's pathetic skate at 98 Olympics, falling to her knees simulating a prayer to Carlo. Sheesh

I think all skaters have them ...

Michelle Kwan - Worlds '05 QR; 1997 Nats FS.

Evgeni Plushenko -- Worlds FS '00. Yags didn't do well; the judges were waiting to give him the gold on a platter -- and he had a meltdown.

What about Yagudin's 2001 Worlds QR and LP performances? He fell all over the place, yet they still managed to put him ahead of Todd Eldredge, who skated 3 clean, beautiful competition performances. :sheesh: The audience knew that he deserved better anyway.

What about Yagudin's 2001 Worlds QR and LP performances? He fell all over the place, yet they still managed to put him ahead of Todd Eldredge, who skated 3 clean, beautiful competition performances. The audience knew that he deserved better anyway.

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Actually, Alexei wasn't that bad in the actual LP, IMO. I remember his qualifying skate being pretty bad, but he was placed 5th in that portion of the competition. His LP wasn't his best by any means, but I do remember thinking that he at least deserved the bronze. I do agree that Todd probably deserved the silver, though. He was terrific in both the SP and LP.

I don't remember her 1992 Olympic LP, but I sure do remember Laetitia Hubert's short program in Nagano. OUCH!

Nancy's free skate at 1993 Worlds , especially after being in first place after the SP

Elvis' SP at 1996 Worlds - but I thought his free skate was great!

Brian Joubert's free skate at 2005 Worlds - so sad

Maria Butyrskaya's QR at at 2002 Worlds. She announced her retirement right after that, before SP.

Andrei Griazev at most competitions, if he holds it all together he can be a World or Olympic medalist.

Sasha: 2000 Nations Cup and 2001 Skate America both were learning experiences. 2003 Nationals was tough too.

Josee at 1993 Worlds, 1994 Olympics and 1994 Worlds.

Ann Patrice McDonough: 2004 Nationals never seen on the Ice again.

Michelle at 1997 Nationals and Nancy at 1993 Worlds were the two most heartbreaking.

For me, (it's already been mentioned) it was Nancy's 93 skate. My heart broke for her as she skated with tears in her eyes. To her credit, she finished and managed a watery smile at the end..............42

Germanice said:

Eldredge's SP in SLC; first another try of the quad in vain, then pretty much OUCH!!! with his Triple Axel. Only ninth after the Short, and this was the last chance of the poor guy to win an Olympic medal at all, after so many failed efforts. :no: It's so hard to deliever when it really counts, isn't it?

Anke

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Yes, I was in tears after Todd's SP at the 2002 Olympics , but he came back very strongly in his free skate (and I therefore can still watch this whole competition). I was more devastated for him following his finish at the 1998 Nagano Olympics (and I've only watched that free skate once).
:no:

I felt sorry for Todd after his free skate at the 98 Olympics, he would hav won the silver ahead of Stojko with a decent skate, and it was his best chance of an Olympic medal. He really didnt have any chance in 2002 anyway, so I didnt feel as sorry for him after the short, but I did in the sense he would have liked some very solid performances to go out with at this last Olympics, even though he wouldnt have medaled.

Had Todd skated cleanly at the 2002 Olympics, there was a very real chance that he could have medaled and even won. Alexei's program was not so much that it couldn't be overcome (no pun intended). Todd was landing his quad toe/triple toe easily in practice. Almost TOO easily. It just didn't happen when he skated in the actual competition. That's how it goes. I think not having very much experience with the jump in competition, hurt his chances of nailing it when it really mattered. hwell:

You're right Gail, I did feel really bad for him in '98. I can't watch that program either.

not a performance but still a disaster

The quad throw attempt in practice for 2003 Worlds where Xue got hurt so badly... but Shen and Zhao sure made up for it in the performance!
Linny

2004 Skate America