Sort of a flipside to the other thread about skaters who competed at Olympics before Worlds.
Post-Olympic Worlds are often seen as lesser events because many of the stars from the recent Olympics end up skipping them. But sometimes the next-in-line who get their first taste of Worlds as alternates after an Olympics (or thanks to federations intentionally splitting the Olympic and World assignments in advance) end up going on to successful careers on their own merits.
Here's a partial list of future medalists who got their first experience of world competition at the end of an Olympic season (I'm going by memory and sometimes looking up placements, but not searching for examples I don't know off the top of my head).
1980
Katarina Witt 10th
Elaine Zayak 11th
1984
Midori Ito 7th
1994
Michelle Kwan 8th
Nicole Bobek DNQ
1998
Evgeny Plushenko 3rd
Honorable mention to Gwendal Peizerat, who was sent to Oakland for 1992 Worlds with his junior partner Marina Morel but ended up withdrawing because Morel was injured.
Feel free to add others!
Post-Olympic Worlds are often seen as lesser events because many of the stars from the recent Olympics end up skipping them. But sometimes the next-in-line who get their first taste of Worlds as alternates after an Olympics (or thanks to federations intentionally splitting the Olympic and World assignments in advance) end up going on to successful careers on their own merits.
Here's a partial list of future medalists who got their first experience of world competition at the end of an Olympic season (I'm going by memory and sometimes looking up placements, but not searching for examples I don't know off the top of my head).
1980
Katarina Witt 10th
Elaine Zayak 11th
1984
Midori Ito 7th
1994
Michelle Kwan 8th
Nicole Bobek DNQ
1998
Evgeny Plushenko 3rd
Honorable mention to Gwendal Peizerat, who was sent to Oakland for 1992 Worlds with his junior partner Marina Morel but ended up withdrawing because Morel was injured.
Feel free to add others!
