Favorite Ladies Olympic Silver Performance | Golden Skate

Favorite Ladies Olympic Silver Performance

Which Ladies Olympic Silver Performance Is the Most Memorable For You?

  • 2002 - Irina Slutskaya

    Votes: 6 8.8%
  • 1998 - Michelle Kwan

    Votes: 27 39.7%
  • 1994 - Nancy Kerrigan

    Votes: 11 16.2%
  • 1992 - Midori Ito

    Votes: 3 4.4%
  • 1988 - Elizabeth Manley

    Votes: 18 26.5%
  • 1984 - Rosalynn Sumners

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • Other

    Votes: 2 2.9%

  • Total voters
    68

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
The Ladies' Olympic Gold performances have all been discussed thoroughly and voted on, but what about those that were awarded Silver? Which is the most memorable to you and why? I've only included the last six Olympics because that is all I have seen. But, feel free to choose other and explain.
 

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
This is a tough one. I already have my answer but it's quite close! Michelle's "Lyra Angelica" from Nagano was superb. No...it wasn't Philadelphia, and I do think she got the medal she deserved that night, but it was such an elegant performance. Everything was wonderful and on any other night (and any other Olympics) it would have been Golden. Darn that little midget from Texas with all that pizzazz and incredible jumping ability! (LOL...just playing, Tara amazed me that night!). That was the finest Olympic Silver performance I can recall.

The one that comes close for me is Elizabeth Manley's surprise Silver in Calgary. WOW! She'd always been touted as a future champion but could never deliver...could never make it all fall into place. She was so stunning in Calgary. Technically, her performance was brilliant (what a triple lutz!), but I loved the happy, bubbly quality she gave it. I enjoy seeing the troubled skater rise above and deliver that dream skate...especially at the Olympics!

Nancy's freeskate in Lillehammer was memorable as well. She, like Manley, finally realized all the potential everyone knew she had. But, it wasn't as surprising as Manley's, and all of her comments at the Medal Ceremony afterward kind of tarnished that performance. But, as purely a skate, it was a wonderful Olympic moment and certainly ranks as a fine Silver Medal performance.

Midori. What can I say? I felt so bad for her after the 1991 Worlds in Munich. So much pressure and stress on such little shoulders! She didn't give up and gave it everything she had...including a beautiful triple axel! I'm glad she finished her career (not thinking of 96 Worlds) with a gutsy performance and an Olympic Silver.

I wasn't that impressed with Irina's or Rosalynn's Olympic performances. Respectable and good, but they didn't interest me as much as the others!
 

skatepixie

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
Nancy. She deserved silver, IMO, because her artistry is/was lacking, but just getting out there and skating after being wacked is just amazing!
 

mzheng

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 16, 2005
I'm wondering ...

I have to pick Michelle's 1998.

But ...

BronzeisGold, I'm always wondering were there no National performance in Philadelphia at 1998. Would there be so many judges and fans (even MK fans) say that MK's 98 Olympic's performance is only good for silver at that night?
 

Smiley0884

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
I would say Nancy, because it was so full of joy, and she gave it her all. Without a doubt I would have given her gold, she was just that far ahead of Oksana technically. She had more difficult spins, and in combination, five clean triples, including a 3/3, and more difficult footwork. Oksana's tech ability wasn't even close to Chen's. But at least Nancy showed what a fighter she was :)
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Now, don't get me wrong. Michelle's my girl and always will be. Lyra Angelica has a place in my heart forever. I could write volumes (and I think that I have, on this very board :laugh: ) on the subject of how she looked in that blue dress, never mind the skating.

But Elizabeth Manley blew the roof off the place!

Mathman
 

NanSinger2

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Definately Liz. I remember her skating around with her cowboy hat. Michelle comes in second to me though. I hate that I saw the difference between two perfect skates that night, one having more sparkle and winning.
 

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Mzheng,

I certainly believe that if she hadn't been so brilliant at the 98 Nationals Michelle would have left the Olympics without MUCH of the criticism she received. Too slow. Too tenative. And compared with her Philadelphia performance, it was in many ways somewhat cautious and restrained. But she set a standard with her Nationals performances that was almost impossible to live up to, even for herself.

Also, I'm glad to see there are many others that think Liz Manley was out of this world in Calgary. I can rewatch that performance a dozen times and I never lose interest. I just recently rediscovered it for about the tenth time and I think its probably what generated this idea.
 

RealtorGal

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Nancy

Had I not seen Michelle's amazing Nationals program in '98, I would probably have voted for Lyra. However, since I did see this program, her Olympic performance left me somewhat disappointed... potential unfulfilled. I voted for Nancy--her program and spirit were fantastic! Add to that the amazing courage and determination it must have taken to get to that point after the knee whack... well, it just made for an incredible moment. :love:
 

icenut84

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I voted for Liz Manley, 1988. Am I right in thinking that performance was also the only one of those that actually won the freeskate? The others all came 2nd in the free I think.

Liz Manley was AMAZING.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Re: Nancy

RealtorGal said:
I voted for Nancy--her program and spirit were fantastic! Add to that the amazing courage and determination it must have taken to get to that point after the knee whack... well, it just made for an incredible moment. :love:

ITA... I voted for Nancy for that reason

and the very fact that it's still the most memorable moment for me in ladies skating... back then she was my skating hero along with Scott

now her skating makes me cringe... but at least she's got her priorities in tact... family first...
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
This just proves how "iffy" and sometimes "unmerited" the Oly gold can be. Anyone of these ladies, on a different night and with different judges, would have won the gold, but I chose Nancy. Nancy's solid, lovely performance to me out-ranked Oksana's two footed, improvised skating. Don't get me wrong, I love Oksana, but this is an example of how "'perky" won over solid skating...........42
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Irina - Not at her best. She's done better silvers.

Michelle - Ok

Nancy - At her best and arguably, the best THAT night.

Elizabeth - Super THAT night.

Joe
 

Lucy25

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
Well, Michelle is my favorite, and Lyra at Nagano was wonderful, but I had to go with Nancy on this one. She skated her heart out and had a personal best that night.
 
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