- Joined
- Oct 24, 2009
That's interesting. So you base achievements in terms of titles won, because I also see you include Janet Lynn in your list. I know figures held her back from winning titles but those were the rules back then so under that system, she wasn't a great competitor. However, she was very influential as I did include her on my list. I think rather than the number of titles won, skaters should be evaluated in terms of the amount of overall influence they have made. It's hard to predict that for current skaters, since their careers haven't ended yet. But if I were to predict, I would think both Yuna and Mao would be on the list because they both will be remembered for a long time in their respective countries. Yuna will be remembered as the trailbrazer for Korean figure skating. And I think the only skater who would probably be ahead of Mao in Japan in terms of fame is Midori Ito. These two should also be credited for contributing to the Asian boom in figure skating.
Yes, I did include Janet Lynn and Midori Ito in my list because I thought both ladies contributed something very very special to figure skating. They were the exception. I tend to think the decrease in emphasis on figures is partly due to Lynn. Her skating in itself was also an achievement. Midori Ito also achieved less than some who are off my top ten but I had to have her because I think she really pushed the athleticism of the ladies event with her triple Axels and triple/triple combination. I also believe that she was the catalyst for the outpouring of many extremely talented skaters from Japan. We'll see if Yuna will have the same effect in Korea.
I think Yuna and Mao both have a good chance of breaking into my top ten if they continue to skate for a few more years. They are both extraordinary skaters.