Youngest Winners? | Golden Skate

Youngest Winners?

screech

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 23, 2005
I think Tara Lipinski was 14 when she won Worlds and Alexei 17 or just turned 18 his first worlds...
 

lmarie086

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
I think Tara was also the youngest to ever win the Olympics, correct? If I'm not mistaken both she and Sonja Henie were 15 but Tara was younger by a few weeks?
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Alexei Yagudin's birthday is in March 1980, and he won his first Worlds in March 1998, IIRC. Plushy's birthday is in November 1982, and he won 2001 Worlds. So both were 18. I'm pretty sure there was someone younger in the men's, but can't really remember who.
 

Icechick86

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 3, 2009
Yep, Tara Lipinski was the youngest woman to win the Olympics and they have since raised the age limit.
 

MasterB

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 18, 2004
According to the commentators if Patrick had won, he would have been the youngest man.
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
According to the commentators if Patrick had won, he would have been the youngest man.
The youngest Canadian man, maybe. Yagudin turned 18 about two weeks before he won Worlds the first time, so he was certainly younger than Chan is right now. One must always take over-excited commentators with a grain of salt. Possibly even a grain of kosher salt ;).

Not that this is so important - what really matters is what a skater does throughout a career, not how old he or she were when they first won.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Alexei Yagudin's birthday is in March 1980, and he won his first Worlds in March 1998, IIRC. Plushy's birthday is in November 1982, and he won 2001 Worlds. So both were 18. I'm pretty sure there was someone younger in the men's, but can't really remember who.

According to the commentators if Patrick had won, he would have been the youngest man.

The youngest Canadian man, maybe. Yagudin turned 18 about two weeks before he won Worlds the first time, so he was certainly younger than Chan is right now. One must always take over-excited commentators with a grain of salt.

There was one person who was a few days younger than Yagudin was when he won the men's title, and in fact that person was Canadian: Donald McPherson in 1963.

Therefore, the commentary that Chan would have been youngest was just wrong.
 

trains

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 2, 2004
I think the youngest man to win worlds was Donald Macpherson of Canada in 1963. He was the year after Donald Jackson.
 

yelyoh

Medalist
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
I think Denis Ten will break that record in two years, unless he has a huge growth spurt and develops breasts and hips. That puberty monster is cruel.
 

Medusa

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 6, 2007
I think Denis Ten will break that record in two years, unless he has a huge growth spurt and develops breasts and hips. That puberty monster is cruel.
Actually, Plushenko, who had about the same skills as Ten at that age, had quite a growth spurt at 16/17 I think and also had a season that was quite difficult for him. The whole thing still ended with 3 World Championships, 5 European titles and Olympic gold - so if it happens to Ten, the future will still be bright.
 

yelyoh

Medalist
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Yeah Medusa I was only half joking as it is a concern. But the kid does have such good basics that I think he could survive and thrive the way Plushenko did.
 

screech

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 23, 2005
Actually, thinking back... waaay back, wasn't Sonja Henie 13 when she won her first worlds?

And Dipyramidal, Kimmie was older than Tara by 2 years.
 

jettasian

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
The youngest Canadian man, maybe. Yagudin turned 18 about two weeks before he won Worlds the first time, so he was certainly younger than Chan is right now. One must always take over-excited commentators with a grain of salt. Possibly even a grain of kosher salt ;).

Not that this is so important - what really matters is what a skater does throughout a career, not how old he or she were when they first won.

I think there's another Canadian younger than Chan, few weeks or months younger to win Silver.

I was just puzzle to read some suggested that maybe the judges were not ready to let Chan win cause he's too young. 18 is not young in this sport and I'm sure there were younger winners.

What about pairs/dance?
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
I think there's another Canadian younger than Chan, few weeks or months younger to win Silver.
Yes, I knew there was someone other than Yagudin - gkelly pointed out that it was Canadian skater Don McPherson back in 1963.

What about pairs/dance?
Possibly Gordeeva/Grinkov - she was 14 or 15 when they first won Worlds, and 16 when they won their first OGM.

Diane Towler (with Bernard Ford) of Great Britain might have been the youngest winner in the dance; her daughter Phillipa Towler-Green competed in the dance event in LA, BTW, finishing 23rd. Winners in ice dance often had to "wait their turn" under the previous system, so the top teams were usually in their twenties or older.
 

antmanb

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
Did everyone forget Kimmie Meisnner?

No - just that Tara was younger and as others have pointed out - the age limits now in place (and in place when Kimmie won her title) means that no skater will ever beat that record unless the change the age rules.

Ant
 
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