Medalists who have fallen in Olympics | Golden Skate

Medalists who have fallen in Olympics

FreeKatie

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 21, 2005
Kristi Yamaguchi, Midori Ito, Lu Chen, Sasha Cohen, Irina Slutskaya, Michelle Kwan (2002)
Jeff Buttle, Philipe Candeloro..... any others you can think of?
 
Last edited:

millie

Medalist
Joined
Nov 1, 2004
FreeKatie said:
Kristi Yamaguchi, Midori Ito, Lu Chen, Sasha Cohen, Irina Slutskaya, Michelle Kwan (2002)
Jeff Buttle, Philipe Candeloro..... any others you can think of?


If all these skaters have had falls in their Olympic programs and got medals, why is it such a big deal with the media that Sasha got a silver medal with her fall. You would think that she has been the only one to ever fall and get a medal. Go figure!!

Yes, Jamie and David did have a fall in their SP and that counts as a fall.
 

FreeKatie

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 21, 2005
millie said:
If all these skaters have had falls in their Olympic programs and got medals, why is it such a big deal with the media that Sasha got a silver medal with her fall. You would think that she has been the only one to ever fall and get a medal. Go figure!!

Yes, Jamie and David did have a fall in their SP and that counts as a fall.

Bereshnaya & Shikeralize - 1998 Nagano fell and got silver
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
millie said:
Yes, Jamie and David did have a fall in their SP and that counts as a fall.

Actually I was asking if it counted in this thread as I think we're really talking more about the LP

and according to Sandra Besic, it didn't count as a fall that night in SLC
 

CDMM1991

Medalist
Joined
Jun 3, 2005
Zhangs in 2006
Shen/Zhao in 2002
Fusar-Poli and Margaglio in 2002
Lambiel in 2006

There are many, many more.
 

Ptichka

Forum translator
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
millie said:
If all these skaters have had falls in their Olympic programs and got medals, why is it such a big deal with the media that Sasha got a silver medal with her fall. You would think that she has been the only one to ever fall and get a medal. Go figure!!
Because they know nothing of this sport!

Seriously, I see no contradiction. Sasha vs. Irina for silver vs. bronze could have gone either way. The Zhangs getting the silver, though, is a whole other story.
 

FreeKatie

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 21, 2005
I think I read that Elvis Stojko was saying these things....:disapp: he should know better.. stupid stupid Elvis.
 

rain

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
I think I may have partly prompted this topic with my post on another thread in the Olympic forum, so I definitely wanted to respond to it, lol. Here was my post:


"On the skating.....I have no patience for the kind of crap you're talking about (not blaming you - I've read similar complaints on this very site, so I know it's a not uncommon idea). Have those people ever watched skating at the Olympics before??? I don't think I can remember one instance where at least a good portion of the medalists HAVEN'T had falls/ and or comparable mistakes in either the short or the long. The idea of everyone skating the perfect program is a myth.

On CBC my Mom and I were irritated by an interview with Elvis Stojko after the skating was done, in which he basically sat back and said "well, in my day....." and proceeded to slam all the current skaters. I always respected him as a skater before, but after this interview I'm actually reconsidering. He basically stated that jumps were everything and while "all the in-between stuff" is nice, it's really all about the quads and triples. Steam started coming out of my ears. All that other stuff? Like the spins, edges, footwork - doesn't matter huh? He sure went down a notch in my estimation. He expressed a similar distaste to what you mentioned having heard, with people getting medals when they fell. Then proceeded to contradict himself by praising the Zhang's (who were the most undeserving of all the top medalists, IMO) for their attempted throw and huge fall. So how is that different than Buttle trying the quad and falling - except that Buttle recovered much more quickly, with less negative impact on the overall program, and skated a much more interesting FS then they did? Same can be said of Cohen. It made me want to smack him. Figure skating is not solely a jumping contest. If it was, I wouldn't be nearly as interested in watching it."

The very instructive and interesting list here just reinforces my point: lots of great skaters have won Olympic medals without flawless performances. This year is no different. The one thing I found a little disappointing about this years competition was that there was no real competition for gold in pairs and mens. The favorites went in a won by a landslide. Ho-hum.
 

attyfan

Custom Title
Medalist
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
In 1984, I heard that Scott Hamilton fell in his SP and FS both. Is this true? (When a medalist falls, I think it would be a good idea if they did what NBC did what they tried to so with Sasha -- explain why the person with the fall was properly scored higher than someone clean. This would be comparing Sasha's spins (for example) with Fumie's, or, something like that.
 

FreeKatie

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 21, 2005
thanks Rain, that was the same thing I read ... I always liked Elvis but I'm disappointed in him .... I guess he has a chip on his shoulder because he always came in second at the Olympics (always the bridesmaid) and was known for his jumps and not his artistry. While I think he has more artistry than Irina Slutskaya, I think maybe Elvis should go play hockey if he thinks the "in-between" moves (the actual skating, that is) is irrelevant. :scowl: bad Elvis!
 

FreeKatie

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 21, 2005
attyfan said:
In 1984, I heard that Scott Hamilton fell in his SP and FS both. Is this true? (When a medalist falls, I think it would be a good idea if they did what NBC did what they tried to so with Sasha -- explain why the person with the fall was properly scored higher than someone clean. This would be comparing Sasha's spins (for example) with Fumie's, or, something like that.


I think Scott was so far ahead with the figures it was almost impossible for his to lose no matter how bad he skated.
 

*~RussianBleux~*

Medalist
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
While I definitely feel that Sasha's silver medal was well deserved even with the falls, I feel that Fumie should have beaten Irina and won the bronze medal. Fumie's program was lacking in any type of transitions and choreography, and her spins were ok, however she was clean. After Irina's fall she basically let the whole thing go. ANy choreography that she did have went down the drain and the remainder of the program was just.....blah. That result probably could have gone either way, however I would have liked to see Fumie win the bronze medal she slightly deserved.

In the pairs competition, I would have put both Shen/Zhao and Pang/Tong ahead of the Zhangs. I also agree that the Zhangs did not deserve that silver medal, that fall marred their whole program.
 

SusanBeth

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
attyfan said:
In 1984, I heard that Scott Hamilton fell in his SP and FS both. Is this true? (When a medalist falls, I think it would be a good idea if they did what NBC did what they tried to so with Sasha -- explain why the person with the fall was properly scored higher than someone clean. This would be comparing Sasha's spins (for example) with Fumie's, or, something like that.

From memory- He caught an edge on a camel spin in the sp. He didn't fall, but couldn't get all the rotations done. In the Lp, he popped a jump and either fell out or doubled another jump. He didn't have an outright fall. Figures saved him.
 

Ogre Mage

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
Olympic medalists who fell

1988: Debi Thomas (bronze -- two-footed the landing and then put her hand down, not sure if it technically was fall but pretty close)

1992: Yamaguchi (gold), Ito (silver, fell in both SP and LP), Kerrigan (bronze), Didn't Petrenko (gold) fall? Albertville was a messy Olympics.

1994: Chen Lu (bronze), Candeloro (bronze)

1998: I believe all the singles medalists did not fall.

2002: Kwan (bronze), Plushenko (silver, fell in SP)

2006: Cohen (silver), Slutskaya (bronze), Lambiel (silver), Buttle (bronze, fell in both SP and LP)
 
Last edited:

Vash01

Medalist
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
FreeKatie said:
Kristi Yamaguchi, Midori Ito, Lu Chen, Sasha Cohen, Irina Slutskaya, Michelle Kwan (2002)
Jeff Buttle, Philipe Candeloro..... any others you can think of?

Viktor Petrenko 1992 (G), Petr Barna 1992 (B)

B&S- 1998 (S) , S&Z- 2002 (B)

Debie Thomas 1988 (B),Watson-Oppegard 1988 (B)

Brasseur & Eisler 1992 (B)

Chen Lu did not fall in either of her medal winning Olympic performances.

Vash
 
Last edited:
Top