The Most Mentally Tough Skater

Joannie Rochette has to be my choice by far!

Brian Boitano
Evan Lysacek

I'm not sure that I agree about Patrick Chan. How can you not be mentally tough when you know going into a competition that your skills are superior to your competitors?

Yagudin
Kim
Witt
Kwan
Plushenko
Shen and Zhao
Suzuki
Wagner

I would think Katarina Witt is one of the toughest competitors. She always got the job done and she also managed to influence and intimidate other skaters - Poor Kira Ivanova died so tragically and was always stared down by Witt. Other than the Olympics Michelle Kwan and Kurt Browing were solid. Plushenko has to be up there as well as Totmiana and Marinin, Sadly in a way Jennifer RObinson was mentally tough. She never seemed to get it that the judges thought she was slow but she skated out there like she was the champion even when the judges and her nation were ready to throw her under a bus. Brian Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi were hardcore. IMHO Kim, Rochette, Chan, Takahashi, Suzuki and definitely Wagner have not shown consistency in respect to toughness. Although he was the Susan Lucci of figure skating, Brian Orser showed a cerain amount of mental toughness always being so consistently up in first or second. Artur Demetrieve and his partners but especially him were mentally tough even when he was out of physical shape. G and G were tough cookies too usually getting the job done. Irina Rodina now she was mentally tough even after giving birth - to come out and fight year in and year out with the young ones. Kudos to her.

Alissa Czisny. Anyone else would just give up if they fell five times in a row. Alissa never backs off the next attempt no matter what.

Some folks thought she should have withdrawn before the long program at worlds, having suffered one disaster after another in her previous outings. Nope. Somehow she found the grit to push herself though in a situation that, psychologically, would have crushed the will of a less determined fighter.

gmyers said:

I agree about Plushenko but also Chan and Takahashi but not Lysacek. His fear of injury was so great he stopped doing quads even when he was fine. Takahashi had to miss a whole season and came back with quads. Chan never stops attempting things even when he falls. That is mental toughness. Not giving up on things for fear.

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Actually Takahashi came back trying to jump a quad in season 2009-2010, but was unsuccessful. Lysacek was injured , had to withdraw from 2008 Worlds. After that practicing quad was not possible for quite some time. He apparently tried to have the quad back for the 2010 Olympics, but was not able to practice it enough to get it consistent (as we saw in 2010 Nationals). In my opinion it is the best strategy to leave a jump out if it is not 80 % consistent AND if one realizes that the foot cannot handle practising it, yet. One must listen to one´s body.... He also had an injury he suffered from in and after the 2009 Worlds. It seems that these old injuries have now healed as he seems to be practicing it now and then. If the foot can´t handle the hard practicing even now, well, we will see.

Stojko
Yagudin
Plushenko
Lysacek

From lady skaters Katerina Witt and from pairs skaters Irina Rodnina.

Miki Ando for me

Miki Ando
Michelle Kwan
Sarah Hughes
Irina Slutskaya- In every sense of the term
Joannie Rochette
Caroline Zhang
Alexei Yagudin
Kurt Browning
Maxim Marinin
Tatiana Totmianina

I think Caroline Zhang has been the most mentally tough US female skater for a while (as of late, I'll give it to Ashley Wager). She's the definition of showing in competition what she shows in practice-- which is why I'm so excited to see what this upcoming year will bring! When is champs camp again?

i'm surprised no one mentioned rachael flatt. she's been the most consistent skater in recent years for the US. of course last season she wasn't "reliable Rachael" but in all years before that she was so dependable and never let any pressure get to her. she's incredibly mentally tough for being able to put out clean skate after clean skate when it mattered.

cornell08 said:

I think Caroline Zhang has been the most mentally tough US female skater for a while (as of late, I'll give it to Ashley Wager). She's the definition of showing in competition what she shows in practice-- which is why I'm so excited to see what this upcoming year will bring! When is champs camp again?

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I wouldn't bet on Ashley "Wager". Although she managed to put out 2 good skates at Nationals, she still messed up her SP at Worlds by missing her initial combination with the triple flip. In a sense she's consistent; she almost always messes up something in her SP, but it's not a sign of mental toughness. In fact, none of the ladies on either the US or the international scene seem like the poster children for mental toughness to me right now.