Michelle Kwan!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D
Well I'm not a Tara fan, and I am a Kwan fan, but on that night Tara had "it"- a spark to her skating, which Kwan didn't have. Had Kwan skated like she did at nationals, I would definitely have given it to her, but she didn't, so I have to (reluctantly) vote for Tara.
This one's kind of a foregone conclusion considering how many Kwan fans there are on this board!
Hi cygnus......I agree that Tara had the "it" factor at Nagano. I think that because Michelle skated the way she did at Nationals, she was expected to skate that way "all the time"......a factor that no one can do all the time. It wasn't the way that Tara skated that made the difference, it was the way Michelle "didn't" skate. She might have done herself in by being "perfect" on the wrong night.............42
I think Tara should have won, because she had the performance of her life. She was amazing, and had this spark that just lit up. Michelle did good, but you have to admit it was Tara's night.
Tara!!!!! She had everything an Olympic champion needs to win. And she didnt't win because Michelle didn't skate well, but because she skated the best performance ever. I think that even if Michelle had skated better, Tara would have won.
Show42, I agree - Michelle wasn't competing against Tara that night, she was competing against the way she had performed at Nationals. Yes, Tara had a wonderful performance, but had Michelle skated the way she had at Nationals, Tara could have had anything she wanted, and would not have come close to Michelle. However, on that night, Tara did have "it" and Michelle was beaten by Michelle at Nationals.
I love Tara, but I think Michelle beat her by just a little bit that night (or should have beaten her). It was very close and in these cases I usually go w/ artistry -- hence I chose Oksana over Nancy and even Lu Chen over Michelle in 96 although that one was also so close I think either decision would have been the right one.
You have to be a real Kwanatic to overlook what Tara accomplished at Nagano.
I think anyone saying that Michelle deserved to win is delusional, and not even open to reality, on that particular event.....
Tara had a big edge on the Tech. mark, that Michelle couldn't make up on the Pres. mark
Michelle couldn't do her 3t/3t because of the foot injury, and Tara did her 3loop/3loop
3axel
I really have to gag on these words but Tara deserved the gold on that night. She seemed to suddenly mature for that one performance only. By the exhibition, she looked again like a jumping bean teenie bopper with little artistry.
If the question is who did I want to win, the answer is Michelle.
if the q is who should have won, I have to give Tara the gold. It's more a case of MK lacking 'it' - nothing to do with the 3-3. Her overall performance was flat and she had one landing which lacked grace (even thought it wasn't a fall).
If MK ever skates with the joy she had at 1998 nationals, she is unbeatable. Otherwise, the door is open and it's up to her to close it.
Michelle Kwan
To say that Michelle Kwan winning would be delusional is absurd, or 3 judges would not have put Michelle Kwan ahead of Tara Lipinski in the LP..
You can look at several different categories...
Spins: Michelle Kwans were beautiful well centered, and you can never forget the positions she held, and she spun in both directions. Tara Lipinskis were a little faster, well centered and had nice positions.
Jumps: Yes Tara had the 3Loop/3Loop, But both women executed their jumps very well, Tara did have a technical edge, but they both landed 7 triples..so both commendable. There was no blow out in this by no means.
Speed: I cannot judge the speed from a TV point of view, but Tara had it, and Michelle just seemed regular ol Michelle.
Presentation: I am sorry Michelle had this by far, It was a lovely program to watch from beginning to end, she may not have had the excitement (her program was joyous not driven by exciting music like Taras)...but was just beautiful worthy of no less than 5.9. Taras was good but the thing that made her presentation stick was her excitement and speed.
By no means was there a blow out in anyway, and it came down to judges taste..technical vs. presentation...
and that is what you can see...on this poll that more on this site seem to prefer presentation vs. technical...the judges that night prefered technical and not presentation. That is all that event resulted in....
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