The ten best figure skaters who never won an olympic medal

There is actually an article by this name you can google, but who would you rank 1 thru 10-daunting, I know. The older historians here could try-an off season work in progress thread. maybe break down to the four disciplines makes it easier? Obviously one can research the older skaters, but maybe we should pick 1900-1960, then 1960-2010 and have two lists as skating has changed so much-that is an arbitrary split, 1960. I am thinking by discipline, gender, countries and know a lot less about say eastern european skaters, so these are more guesses. Not in any particular order but Kurt Browning is my number 1 best skater without Olympic hardware.

I can start: Men: Kurt Browning,

Todd Eldridge (does he belong on list?)

ladies

Tonya Harding,

Elaine Zayak (she was not on podium, right?-I need to check that-but she should have been)

Yuka Sato, WC! She missed podium by one spot in 94. She was/is/ever will be awesome!

Ice dancers Bourne and Kraatz (robbed of a few WC's?)

Roca and Sur. I thought this team one of the best ever. I guess SOI did too. There are a dozen ice dancers I can think of but I loved these two teams and thought them excellent and exemplified what I liked in ice dance in the modern era.

Punsalen and Swallow. They were American and thus shut out. I loved them as a team and their connection, and they pushed Roca/Sur visa versa. I am a fan of Notrh American ice dancers/just my taste and cultural bias I'm sure for style and classic lines over innovation/ugly lifts/awful choreo-costumes (sorry europe/russia forgive me!) I agree with many medals awarded to teams I recall since the 80's, so I guess I just feel North America was shut out for so long and these teams were world class, too.


Pairs Randy Gardner and Tai Babilonia (but if not for the injury -they seemed on track-big sigh!)

Meno Sand -forgot them! should have been bronze not fifth at olympics-they were so fab-just not russian! very great American pair. They deserved more respect. Katia loved their classic lines

I can honestly say as long as I have watched pairs, the best teams medaled, but I am sure I am not thinking of the best teams from Eastern Europe.

Just a start and I wonder about the lists of better historians with a more world compeititors memory.

Should their be an ancient era and modern era divide to fit in top ten from each era? Or are we interested in top ten of all time despite the huge strides in jumping?

I have not picked anyone still competing, obviously, though I'd like to! But hope springs eternal for a couple ladies I love. Lots are coming back!

I'm mixing disciplines, and picking people still.around:

Biellmann
Ina/Zimmerman
Bowman
Eldredge
Browning
Annenko/Sretenski
Chan
Nagasu
Czisny
Kostner

The last four still have an opportunity to leave this list.

I too thought about nagasu, Kostner and Czisny but the first two are not done. Kostner has a chance and I hope she skates like she has been. nagasu may have had her best at fourth and if she retires, well, she was golden that somehow is now flailing about for direction. Allissa really has not had any world medlas and won't so she'd not be on any list for me, not remotely despite her gifts-her record isn't good. I too, thought of Bowman, but chose Eldredge, as I thought he was a shoo in for bronze in nagano. And he is a 3time? US Champ and WC gold medalist. I am not so sure of Bowman's record. I don't recall. But Yuka Sato is being added to my list-how could I forget the japanese version of janet Lynn?

when I read the thread title I thought by "figures" you meant the actual figures portion of the competition... Kurt Browning wouldn't make that list - even he admitted so, though he worked his butt off and significantly improved them for the final season they were part of competition.

But I agree, Kurt's the best period... that he has no Olympic hardware doesn't even seem likea blip in his career for me.

I'm just doing skaters from the 90s and 00s since I'm not familiar enough with the ones before that. I'm also not going to count still-eligible skaters who still have a chance to win.

Kurt Browning
Bourne/Kraatz
Delobel/Schoenfelder
Drobiazko/Vanagas
Petrova/Tikhonov
Fumie Suguri
Todd Eldredge
Rahkamo/Kokko
Surya Bonaly
Alexander Abt

I'll stick with retired skaters only

In no particular order

Delobel and Schoenfelder
Denkova and Staviski
Maria Butyrskaya
Kurt Browning
Denise Biellman

Will add five more later

Brian Joubert
Alexander Abt (he was robbed in 2002 ECH. Yagudin also knew that Sacha was the real winner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86g-lZbNauU&feature=related)
Johnny Weir
Kurt Browning
Carolina Kostner
Maria Butyrskaya
Yuka Sato
Denkova-Staviski
Todd Eldredge
Delobel-Schonfelder

Oops, I forgot about Denkova and Staviski. Scratch Bonaly and put them in my list instead.

skateluvr said:

I too thought about nagasu, Kostner and Czisny but the first two are not done. Kostner has a chance and I hope she skates like she has been. nagasu may have had her best at fourth and if she retires, well, she was golden that somehow is now flailing about for direction. Allissa really has not had any world medlas and won't so she'd not be on any list for me, not remotely despite her gifts-her record isn't good. I too, thought of Bowman, but chose Eldredge, as I thought he was a shoo in for bronze in nagano. And he is a 3time? US Champ and WC gold medalist. I am not so sure of Bowman's record. I don't recall. But Yuka Sato is being added to my list-how could I forget the japanese version of janet Lynn?

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Csizny? An OLYMPIC medal? Seriously?! She's somewhat good in general, but she's placed 10th at US Nats twice AND 22nd at Worlds. Even with a minor injury, that's terrible.

Tonya.

miki ando, suzuki akiko!

mary01 said:

miki ando, suzuki akiko!

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You're right!!!!!

skateluvr said:

. I too, thought of Bowman, but chose Eldredge, as I thought he was a shoo in for bronze in Nagano. And he is a 3time? US Champ and WC gold medalist. I am not so sure of Bowman's record. I don't recall. But Yuka Sato is being added to my list-how could I forget the Japanese version of janet Lynn?

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First of all, Todd definitely belongs on your list, IMHO! He won US Nationals 6 times (1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002), and Worlds in 1996. I "think" Chris finished 4th @ the 1992 Olympics?

My list so far:

Kurt
Todd
Yuka
Delobel & Schoenfelder
Denkova & Staviski
Bourne & Kraatz
Ina & Zimmerman
Fumie

Biggest wastes of talent who never won an Olympic medal: Harding, Bowman, Bobek all of whom had the talent to get them to the top EASILY if they had mapped out and STAYED the course they mapped instead of taking detours (coach hopping and not training full out in Harding's and Bobek's case, drugs and training issues in Bowman's case)

Skaters who COULD have won a medal but didn't due to a surprise skate of his/her life above them, getting surpassed, or just not "skating their skate" when it counted (retired only): Butyrskaya, Eldredge, Sato, Zayak, I/Z, B/K, Browning, D/S (BUL), Allen (US), Chinn (US)

Skaters who COULD have won a medal but decided to take the fame and run while they could: Bielman (World Champion and then left and she could have stayed until 84 and given Katerina a run for her money), Galindo

That's a good breakdown of "almosts." Some talented skaters just didn't have the discipline, and Harding, Bowman, and Bobek are the most obvious examples. They should probably form a separate list.

Browning tops my list and probably everyone else's. He has everything: natural talent, work ethic, love of skating (clearly!), charisma, technical prowess, artistry. In fact, he's so wonderful that for him, as one of you said earlier, the lack of an Olympic medal (though one would have been nice) is barely a blip on his illustrious record. There's not even any heartbreak to that story any longer. Say the word Kurt, and one just feels happy and awed, not regretful at all. Skate god for life, indeed.

I agree with most of the skaters mentioned by everyone else. It sure would have been grand to see Denkova/Staviskiy win a medal; their style is so wonderful. Mskater93, thanks for mentioning Lisa Marie Allen. She was elegant and imposing on the ice, one of the tallest ladies singles skaters ever (five foot eight, I think), and Grace Kelly blonde. She was the perennial runner-up to Linda Fratianne around 1980.

For the remaining ones, the ones I'd single out (pun not intended) are Yuka Sato and Todd Eldredge. Yuka especially brought something special to skating, with those beautiful blade skills. I'm grateful that they both remained in pro skating for many years, so we could enjoy them.

Brian Joubert
Kurt Browning
Maria Butyrskaya
Tonya Harding
Surya Bonaly
Christopher Bowmna
Ina & Zimmerman
Todd Eldredge
Yuka Sato
Bourne and Kraatz

Tiffany Chin! She arguably should have won in 1984

Bdan said:

Tiffany Chin! She arguably should have won in 1984

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Back in the figures days, I always felt bad for the free skaters who were ranked lower in figures and would end up 4th-5th, after winning the free skating, or coming in 2nd, like Denise, Tiffany, and Emmerich Danzer (no, I was not old enough to see any of these people skate! thank you, Youtube!)

Then again, I also felt bad for the figures specialists who would win figures (or be in the top five), then fade when the free skating began, like Isabel De Navarre, Julie Holmes, and Karol Divin.

In no praticular order:
Regőczy & Sallai
Brian Jobert
Karolina Costner
Bourne and Kraatz
Krylova and Ovsyannikov
Sasha Cohen
Michelle Kwan
Annenko - Sretensky
Regyotzi - Shalai
Moiseeva - Minenkov
Denise Bielmann
Nicole Bobek
Lu Chen
Denkova - Staviyski
Tanja Szewczenko
Philippe Candeloro
Duchesnay & Duchesnay
Brasseur & Eisler

With this list I actually meant those skates who never won Olympic Gold! All of them were great!

snejina said:

In no praticular order:
Regőczy & Sallai (Silver in 80)
Brian Jobert
Karolina Costner
Bourne and Kraatz
Krylova and Ovsyannikov (Silver in 98)
Sasha Cohen (Silver in 06)
Michelle Kwan (Silver in 98, Bronze in 02)
Annenko - Sretensky
Regyotzi - Shalai
Moiseeva - Minenkov (silver in 76, bronze in 80)
Denise Bielmann
Nicole Bobek
Lu Chen (bronze in 94 and 98)
Denkova - Staviyski
Tanja Szewczenko
Philippe Candeloro (bronze in 94 and 98)
Duchesnay & Duchesnay (Silver in 92)
Brasseur & Eisler (bronze in 92 and 94; Canadians were very very upset about that one)

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Annenko and Sretenski were so beautiful...so was everyone you mentioned.