Name skaters from other countries you like

[Bijoux]

I thought it would be interesting to ask on a mostly american site, what skaters from other countries are your favorites. Posters from other countries may want to pick their favorites from around the world. This way we have favorites but with no national bias.

you can pick all the disciplines or just the ones you watch most. I have favorites from the current and the past. I'm from US.

Canada
Ladies, Liz Manley
Mens, Toller Cranston, Kurt Browning. Elvis, Sandhu
Dance, B&K best ever ice dancers
Pairs, S&P so much fun


Russia
Ladies, Irina
Men's, Ilia Kulik, Yagudin,
Pairs, G&G, the Protopopovs, B&S

England
Ice Dance, T&D (miss their style and costumes from that era of ice dance)
Men's, Robin Cousins, Steven Cousins

the Baltic and Slavik countries
Ladies, Julia Sebestyn, Elena Liashenko, Tatiana Malinina (where is she now?)

France
Men's, Brian Joubert, the Eligible Candeloro.

Switzerland:
Ladies, Lucinda Ruh, Denise Biellmann

 

[Ogre Mage]

I am from the U.S. I mainly watch singles so ---

Canada: Kurt Browning, Brian Orser.

Russia: Alexei Yagudin. I am slowly coming around to Irina Slutskaya.

China: Chen Lu (as an amateur).

Japan: Midori Ito, Yuka Sato, Shizuka Arakawa.

Switzerland: Denise Biellmann.

England: Torvill & Dean.

 

[Piel]

Canada - Kurt, S&P, B&K, Underhill and Martini, Isabelle and Lloyd

France - A&P, Phillipe

Italy - Silvia (that smile)

China - C&Z, LuLu

Japan - Yuka, Fumie

Ukraine - Oksana

Russia - G&G, Usova & Platov, Klimova and Ponomarenko , Artur Dmitriev with anyone, Angelika K. and Oleg O., B&S, Kulik

Israel - C&S

 

[Ximena]

Well since Peru has not figure skating whatsoever, I have no national love for the sport but I'm very biased of Russian skaters so here we go

Russia: Plushenko (best skater in the world IMHO), Abt, Urmanov, Klimkin, Khil (this kid will be a champion for sure), Slutskaya, B&S, N&K, P&T, L&A, T&M, G&G (thanks for the internet I was able to see thier programs, love them!)

USA: Savoie, Jahnke, Kirk, Bin Mok

Canada: Buttle, D&L

Mexico: Moyron!! and Cantu ok some latinoamerica bias maybe...

England: The Kerrs (they are from england right?)

France: Jeanette

Germany: W&L, Lindemann

Switzerland: Lambiel

Belgium: Van der Perren

Bulgaria: D&S

China: LI, S&Z, P&T, Z&Z

Italy: Zelenka (sp?), F&S

Japan: Suguri, Shizuka

Hungary: Sebestyen

I didn't notice how many skaters I liked

 

[dewet]

I read that Tatiana Malinina was coaching in Virginia.


Right now,
Fumie Suguri
Shizuka Arakawa
Takeshi Honda
Yukina Ota
Shen&Zhao
Julia Sebestyen
Elena Liashenko
Galina Maniashenko
Irina Slutskaya

I'm from the US.

 

[PrincessLeppard]

This could be a long list. I don't really like too many American skaters, most of my faves are from elsewhere. I'll try to limit the list.

Evgeni (duh)
Alexander Abt
Kevin Van Der Perren
Vakthang Murvandizde
Sergei Davydov
Gregor Urbas
Karel Zelenka
Takeshi Honda
C. Li (his Star Wars program at Worlds rocked!)

Laura

 

[lil_icesk8er915]

Oooh! I love these kind of questions!

(As of Olympic Eligible Skaters)

Canada
Cynthia Phaneuf
Jennifer Robinson
Jeffrey Buttle

Italy
Carolina Kostner

France
Brian Joubert

Japan
Yukina Ota
Miki Ondo
Shizuka Arakawa
Fumie Suguri

China
Binshu Xu (Junior Worlds)Z
Xue Shen/Hongbo Zhou
Zhang/Zhang

 

[Becca84]

I'm in the U.S., but some of my faves are:

Yagudin
Joubert
Browning
Stojko
Cousins
Ruh
S&P
B&S
B&E
S&Z
B&K

 

[show 42]

Wow, I pretty much like them all. It would be easier to say which ones I don't care for much........ 42

 

[Bijoux]

I agree Ogre with China's eligible Chen Lu. She is as exquisite a skater as I remember. And I don't use that word as often as say, Peggy does! I hated to see her lose her skills and vamp around in those SOI numbers. I thought her Nagano Oly Program was so beautiful. I wish they had three golds at that Olympics. I wonder if bias against China at that time affected her chance for gold. She didn't have the triples I recall that Tara and Michelle had, but she was the most mesmerizung of the 3, IMO.

Japan, how can I forget! All time favorite:Yuka
close behind: Yukina Ota, Shizuka.
Most admired for her persona and sheer athletic prowess is Midori Ito. I never thought she was graceful, but truly sweet, humble and herself.

 

[Bijoux]

hi show 42

It's ok to say who you don't like. I don't see that as being negative. Maybe there are just 1 per country? In Russian ladies, Irina is my favorite as she took a long time to really blend her artistry with her jumping bean ability. But 2002 really showed me how good she was-she pulled it together and she deserved those wins. I use to cringe at the younger Irina's skating. She is so easy to like as a person. Maria I never warmed to, and Cupcake though cute has never been in there enough. I was sure Vika Volchkova might take Irina's place- the beauty, and her high jumps, but then she was injured and on the ice more than upright. I don't know if she is still skating and if she will make a comeback. You have longevity I see as a fan, so you know the skaters beyone the last decade.

I know we have Paul Wylie as all time favortites in common. (oops - he's american, I forgot!)

 

[Kateri]

England: The Kerrs (they are from england right?)

Don't let them hear you say that!!
(they are Scottish!)

kateri.

 

[Longhornliz]

To me there are two categories... Midori Ito, and Everyone else

But I also root/ed for:

S&Z!!!!
LuLu
Kulik
M&D... but more like Whoever and D, or anything he has choreographed for others
G&G
Non exhibition Candeloro
Elvis
T&D
U&Z

 

[Ogre Mage]

I agree Ogre with China's eligible Chen Lu. She is as exquisite a skater as I remember. And I don't use that word as often as say, Peggy does! I hated to see her lose her skills and vamp around in those SOI numbers. I thought her Nagano Oly Program was so beautiful.

I hated that too, it was really depressing to see her go so downhill. But she deserves credit for pioneering the sport in her country, in the wake of her success China has become a bona fide power in skating (allbeit in different disciplines). Her "Rachmaninoff" and "Butterfly Lovers" LPs are all-time classics of ladies skating.

 

[Jaana]

Skaters I have especially liked or like now:

USA: Babilonia & Gardner, Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming, Janet Lynn, David Santee, Sasha Cohen, Evan Lysacek

Great Britain: Torvill & Dean, John Curry and Robin Cousins

Japan: Takeshi Honda and Shizuka Arakawa

Canada: Karen Magnussen, Kurt Browning and Jeffrey Buttle

Ukraina: Viktor Petrenko and Oksana Baiul

Russia: Rodnina with both partners, Gordeeva & Grinkov, Ilia Kulik, Maria Butyrskaya, Gritshuk & Platov, Evgeni Plushenko

China: Shen & Zhao

Germany: Kilius & Baumler, Tania S. and a few East-German pairs

Hungary: Recoczy & Sallay and Victoria Pavuk

Czec: Hana Maskova, Tomas Verner

France: Philippe Candeloro (eligible career, and not exhibitions)

Switzerland: Denise Bielman and Stéphane Lambiel

Bulgary: Denkova & Staviyski

Denmark: Mikkeline Kierkgaard

Marjaana

P.S. Added Tomas Verner

 

[berthes ghost]

Oh God, this could take all day...appology in advance for misspellings

Kurt, Jossee, Orser

Curry, T&D

Surya, the Dutchesneys, Tobel, Jubert, Jeanette, Hubert, A&P, A&B

Sylvia Fontanta, Carolina Kostner

Sara Falotico, Kevin v d P

Sonja

Gilles Graftsrom, Sasana Poiykio, Elena Ketuin

Kat Witt

Oksana, Liashenko, Vag. Zaggaruvnik, G&G

Vaktung

Way too many Russians...my computer would probably crash with the load.

Midori, Yuka, Hanae Yokoya, Shizuka, Miki, Fumie

Lulu, S&Z

 

[DivakawaFan]

Hmm, I'm Japanese, but from UK, so I wonder which one counts?! Anyway I'll do both!

Japan: Shizuka, Fumie, Miki, Yukina, Takeshi, Daisuke, Midori

UK: Torvill/Dean

USA: Michelle, AP, Ina/Zimmerman, Debi Thomas, Kristi

Canada: Sandhu

Russia: Irina, Krylova/Ovsiannikov, Usova/Zhulin

France: Bonaly, Anissina/Peizerat

China: Lulu, Shen/Zhao, Pang/Tong, Dan Fang

 

[iluvtodd]

Since I'm from the US, here are some of my faves from other countries:

Canada - Brian Orser, Elvis, Kurt, Jeff Buttle, Jen Robinson, Brasseur & Eisler, B&K cry: ), Josee Choinard (sp?)

Japan - Midori Ito (my all-time favorite lady!), Yuka, Fumie, Shizuka, Takeshi

UK - T&D, Robin Cousins, Steven Cousins

France - Brian Joubert

Russia - G&G, Kazakova & Dmitriev, Krylova & Ovsinannikov, Klimova & Ponamorenko

Belgium - Kevin Van der Perren

Lithuania - Drobiazko & Vanagas

China - Shen & Zhao, Pang & Tong

Czech Republic - Kovarikova & Novatny

Switzerland - Denise Beillman, Lucinda Ruh

Italy - Silvia Fontana

Finland - Rakhamo & Kokko, Alisa Drei

(Sorry this took up so much space. I tried to cut it down, but wasn't able to)

 

[mariana]

Well, since in Argentina we have no figure skating whatsoever I can name all the skaters that I like

USA: Lang & Tchernyshev, Gregory & Petukhov, Inoue & Baldwin

Great Britain: Torvill & Dean

Canada: Sale & Pelletier

Russia: Rodnina with both partners, Gordeeva & Grinkov, Ilia Kulik, Evgeni Plushenko, Usova & Platov, Klimova & Ponomarenko

France: Abitbol & Bernardis, Anissina & Peizerat, Joubert

Switzerland: Stéphane Lambiel

Bulgary: Denkova & Staviyski

Scotland: Kerr & Kerr

 

[rusalka]

dance: Denkova-Staviyskiy,Torvill-Dean, Anissina-Peizerat,Bourne-Kraatz,Drobiazko-Vanagas

pairs:Gordeeva-Grinkov, Kovarikova-Novotny,Dmitriev with anybody

men:Yagudin, Plushenko

ladies:Slutskaya, Butyrskaya

and a lot of others!..