Best silver medal Olympic skates

[MK's Winter]

Paul Wylie in 1992 for sure. Such an inspired skate!

Michelle Kwan in 1998. I truly believe if the skate order had been reversed or if they had been the last two to skate, Michelle would have won hands down.

 

[iluvtodd]

Brian Orser - 1984, 1988
Michelle - 1998
Elvis - 1994, 1998
Paul Wylie - 1992
Nancy K. - 1994
K & O - 1998
Usova & Zhulin - 1994
Meryl & Charlie - 2010
Tanith & Ben - 2006
M & D - 1994
Pang & Tong - 2010

 

[Sneaka]

Plu was anything but good and not even close to soooo goood! I am not an Evan fan, but he won outright. Plu just jumped and pranced. That is not Figure Skating. Let's move on!

 

[SimplyLex]

Come to think of it, 2010 had amazing silver medal skates. Meryl/Charlie, Mao and Pang/Tong were on top of their game. Even shaky, transitionless Plush was close to winning.

And I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I did truly love Lobacheva/Averbukh's Time for Peace FD.

 

[Olympia]

Michelle in 1998 for me, definitely.

Usova/Zhulin in 1994 and Regoczy/Sallay in 1980. The latter skaters aren't well known these days, but they were a wonderful, stylish couple, and it's nice that they won the World championship later that year.

I wish M/D and G/G could have been awarded a tie in 1994. One thing I remember the commentators showing us on American TV after that event was decided was a comparison of a throw jump by both couples. As I recall, Dmitriev stopped in his tracks to throw Mishkutenok, but Grinkov kept moving as he threw Gordeyeva. That blew me away. Sergei did indeed have two bobbles in the long program, but the quality of G and G's moves was always so high. In any case, both of these splendid pairs had previous gold medals, so that is some consolation. And then Dmitriev won a second gold with his new partner, Kazakova. One of history's great partners with or without a win in 1994.

 

[pangtongfan]

Mao in 2010. People undervalue how truly great she was at those Games since she had a couple mistakes in the long program but she had 3 clean triple axels, outstanding spins and spirals, and even without her best programs ever very good artistry and basic skating. I think under COP she would have trounced any other silver performances, including evenbKwan of 98 (Kwan of 98 would probably win out of the two on 6.0 due to Maos 2 mistakes).

Michelle in 98 as has already been said. Would have probably won any other Olympics in history except for 2010. Despite that it probably wouldnt even make her own top 10 all time performances though.

Miskutienok & Dmitriev in 1994 for sure.

Usova & Zhulin are definitely one of the best dance teams in history to not win the Olympic Gold, but their 1994 performance certainly wasnt one of the greatest to never win Gold. It was probably the worst FD of their whole career, and it is even more a shame that they missed winning by .1 with such an awful program. Had they had anything else they probably would have won. In reality they had way better programs and skating in 1992 where they finished with the bronze.

Krylova & Ovsiannikov the same thing in 98. One of the best in history to not win the Olympic Gold but that yucky Carmen wasnt one of the best performances ever to miss Olympic Gold.

 

[Danibellerika]

I really liked Plush's 2002 Carmen skate. With that ambitious 4/3/3 I was wowed and then the 3a/.5lp/3 flip was so badass and matching the music made it even better!

 

[Layfan]

Mao in 2010. People undervalue how truly great she was at those Games since she had a couple mistakes in the long program but she had 3 clean triple axels, outstanding spins and spirals, and even without her best programs ever very good artistry and basic skating. I think under COP she would have trounced any other silver performances, including evenbKwan of 98 (Kwan of 98 would probably win out of the two on 6.0 due to Maos 2 mistakes).

Oh, indeed. And she was 19. Her Bells of Moscow was so intricate and different. Rewatching her spirals now - the best of the competition without a doubt and her footwork sequence had that special dramatic yet sprite quality that Mao has. I love re-watching her World version of it because THAT was perfect. One of the best lady skaters ever. I hope she will be remembered that way no matter what happens at these Olympics.

I think it's fantastic that she and Yuna are both back at these games but we'll see what happens. It's so hard that the Olympics are four years apart. Julia is lucky she is eligible now. One always wondered what would have happened if Mao could have competed at 2006. Of course, I don't want this to be Julia's peak but with figure skating you just never know.

 

[CarneAsada]

Oh, indeed. And she was 19. Her Bells of Moscow was so intricate and different. Rewatching her spirals now - the best of the competition without a doubt and her footwork sequence had that special dramatic yet sprite quality that Mao has. I love re-watching her World version of it because THAT was perfect. One of the best lady skaters ever. I hope she will be remembered that way no matter what happens at these Olympics.

I would still rank her Bells FS as her best FS ever even if it only had the spirals and the footwork. Coupled with everything else, I think it's by far her best. She was the only skater in that final flight who really made a deep impression on me.

I think it's fantastic that she and Yuna are both back at these games but we'll see what happens. It's so hard that the Olympics are four years apart. Julia is lucky she is eligible now. One always wondered what would have happened if Mao could have competed at 2006. Of course, I don't want this to be Julia's peak but with figure skating you just never know.

This might sound strange but I'm glad Mao didn't win in 2006 because she got so much better later...

 

[Raatkirani]

M&D in 1994. The most passionate and haunting performance ever. It was sooooooo good, I never tire of it.

 

[TwinnerA]

Michelle Kwan in 1998. I cried with her as she received her silver medal. i will never forget how gracious she was in defeat and that made me love her even more.

 

[Ladskater]

Elizabeth Manley, Calgary 1988

Karen Magnussen, Japan 1972

 

[L_Canada]

Elvis Stojko - 1994

I read in an article Kurt Browning said something like, Elvis actually won the 1994 Olympics, they just didn't give it to him. Totally agree.

 

[pangtongfan]

This might sound strange but I'm glad Mao didn't win in 2006 because she got so much better later...

I think she would have continued after 2006 and still gotten better though. If anything not having the elusive Olympic Gold weighing over her, might have helped her even more, but I still think she would have had a long career. She also probably wasnt beating Kim in Vancouver no matter what, so there would probably still be some motivation to continue to 2014 and try to avenge that defeat.

I think she is a skater like Michelle Kwan who loved to compete, and would not have just retired winning the OGM. I dont think Tara would have even retired without her hip problems, or Oksana without her money grubbing coaches. Hughes knew her victory was kind of a fluke so wisely cashed in and barely competed again.

 

[wordsworthgirl]

Michelle in 98 would have won in any other Olympics but 2010 and would have beaten Tara had she skated after Tara rather than before. Not as transcendent as her performance at Nationals, but still, gorgeous.

Paul Wylie's silver in 92 was the most epic and emotional for me- therefore the Best in the sense of satisfying, thrilling, break-through, rising to the occasion etc.

M and D in 94 were extraordinary, even though I would have put G and G above them. Those two performances are my two favorite pairs performances of all time.

Elizabeth Manley in 88 was pretty great.

I was not an Elvis fan by any stretch of the imagination but I agree with Kurt Browning. Elvis won the 94 Olympics even though the judges chose to reward Alexei Urmanov- who despite his gorgeous Mishin jumps was simply bland at best, laughable at worst- my sister and I still crack up recalling his chicken arm moves and knee touches in that oversized Sir Toby Belch jacket and long gloves!

 

[Ladymadchan]

I think she would have continued after 2006 and still gotten better though. If anything not having the elusive Olympic Gold weighing over her, might have helped her even more, but I still think she would have had a long career. She also probably wasnt beating Kim in Vancouver no matter what, so there would probably still be some motivation to continue to 2014 and try to avenge that defeat.

I think she is a skater like Michelle Kwan who loved to compete, and would not have just retired winning the OGM. I dont think Tara would have even retired without her hip problems, or Oksana without her money grubbing coaches. Hughes knew her victory was kind of a fluke so wisely cashed in and barely competed again.

I remembering seeing Mao skate in the Japanese Nationals before Turino (on bittorent!). She beat the future champion Shizuka Arakawa and beat the heavily favoured OGM chamption Irina Slutskaya in the Grand Prix Final. To this day I think it's a tragedy she couldn't skate at the OG, especially when you hear about Chinese gymnasts and skaters who lied about their age. There might be other examples, but those are the ones I can think of.... But I'm so glad she got to have a long career herself, and I don't think having an early OGM would have changed that.

 

[TontoK]

I was not an Elvis fan by any stretch of the imagination but I agree with Kurt Browning. Elvis won the 94 Olympics even though the judges chose to reward Alexei Urmanov- who despite his gorgeous Mishin jumps was simply bland at best, laughable at worst- my sister and I still crack up recalling his chicken arm moves and knee touches in that oversized Sir Toby Belch jacket and long gloves!

Bland is the right word. Until this year, that was the most uninspiring men's Olympic competition that I remember. It may still be the worst, as this year had some excellent SP's. But it's close.

 

[pangtongfan]

I found Elvis grossly overscored most of his career, and the media and Elvis himself potraying himself as undermarked and constant wuzrobbed when he in fact was being greatly overscored for years was annoying. It was like Chan, except that he wasnt falling, and unlike with Chan where experts and fans howl over his scores and correctly proclaim him greatly overscored; with Elvis they claimed a very overscored skater as underscored. Had he gotten the scores he usually actually deserved (much lower from 95 onwards especialy) people would have probably had a heart attack.

That said, as many gifts and overscores he got in his career, I do agree he was robbed of the 94 Olympic Gold. Urmanov had no triple-triple vs Elvis who had a triple axel-triple toe, and a big mistake on his triple flip which was worse than his one extra triple toe which gave him a 8th triple. His spins and footwork were awful and nowhere near Elvis. Elvis had his best choreographed program ever that year and it was a better program with more detail than Alexei too IMO. I would have scored Elvis about .2 higher technically and the same on presentation.

 

[desertskates]

Michelle Kwan in 1998. I cried with her as she received her silver medal. i will never forget how gracious she was in defeat and that made me love her even more.

Yup, this. :agree:

 

[wonderlen3000]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who had visions of Torino and Sasha Cohen while watching Hanyu fall twice while skating to Romeo and Juliet. I thought, that music is BAD LUCK!!! And then it all worked out for him! But it got me thinking about all of those skaters who were wonderful and still didn't win gold when in another year they would have run away with it.

So for me, here are some stunning silver medal performances that just weren't good enough THAT year.

1. First of all, Brian Orser, 1988. I'm sure it can help but cross his mind that his student gets to be Olympic champ forever with mistakes while he was nearly perfect in 1998 and it wasn't good enough.
1. Michelle Kwan, 1998. Sigh. Near-perfection wasn't enough. In fact, if Orser can be said to have nearly perfect, then Michelle WAS perfect.
5. Davis/White, 2010. Ditto.
2. Evgeni Plushenko, 2002. He made it an epic battle with Yagudin.
4. Mao Asada, 2010. She made a slight mistake in the free but she landed her triple axel and it was one of the most difficult and best ladies Olympic skates in history.
5. Nancy Kerrigan, 1996. Many still think she should have won.


Who else?

Didn't Orser stepout on one of his triple axel?? I read some where, he said, 'he should have won gold, because he did two 3A' while the Boinito only did one, but that error was maybe the deciding factor for the tie breaker in vote.
Plushenko had a fall in SP, and he was in 4th place after SP. If he was in the top three, he may have won the gold.

But i think P/T and Michelle was prob the best silver medalist, who skated clean in both SP and LP.