- Joined
- Feb 17, 2006
Kwan and Slutskaya each without Olympic Gold, does it seem picture is wrong?
I know skating competitions are and should be judged on what skaters produce on the particular day of the competition, and that explains the cause of the outcomes I am about to refer to.
However is there anybody else who finds it strange that between 2 of the greatest female skaters in the history of the sport of figure skating-Michelle Kwan and Irina Slutskaya there is not even 1 gold medal between the two of them. Michelle missed in 2 great opportunities-1998 and 2002, and Irina missed in 2 great opportunities-2002 and the most recent heartbreak we all recall in 2006. When Irina failed as the final skater in 2006 the realization hit me as a viewer that the 2 women who have defined this era, have been at the top through 3 quadrennials of skating, will end their careers with neither achieving the Olympic Gold medal which is truly sad.
On the other hand the last 4 Olympic Champions in womens skatings, fine skaters that they may be, do not seem to be anywhere near the same class of greatness. Oksana Biaul, Tara Lipinski, Sarah Hughes, and Shizuka Arakawa have produced a grand total between the 4 of them of: 3 total World titles, only 4 total World medals, and only 3 GP event wins if you consider todays GP events those events during Biaul's time. Between Lipinski, Hughes, and Arakawa they have amassed only 2 GP final titles and 6 GP final medals. Between Biaul, Lipinski, and Hughes they have managed a mere 1 European or U.S National title. Between Slutskaya and Kwan they have amassed 7 total Word titles, 15 total World medals, 5 GP final titles and 14 GP finals, 16 combined European/U.S National titles, 28 GP event wins.
Yet those 4 each have an Olympic Gold medal, while the 2 women who have defined womens skating for over a decade, two of the best in the history of our sport have not a gold medal between them.
I know skating competitions are and should be judged on what skaters produce on the particular day of the competition, and that explains the cause of the outcomes I am about to refer to.
However is there anybody else who finds it strange that between 2 of the greatest female skaters in the history of the sport of figure skating-Michelle Kwan and Irina Slutskaya there is not even 1 gold medal between the two of them. Michelle missed in 2 great opportunities-1998 and 2002, and Irina missed in 2 great opportunities-2002 and the most recent heartbreak we all recall in 2006. When Irina failed as the final skater in 2006 the realization hit me as a viewer that the 2 women who have defined this era, have been at the top through 3 quadrennials of skating, will end their careers with neither achieving the Olympic Gold medal which is truly sad.
On the other hand the last 4 Olympic Champions in womens skatings, fine skaters that they may be, do not seem to be anywhere near the same class of greatness. Oksana Biaul, Tara Lipinski, Sarah Hughes, and Shizuka Arakawa have produced a grand total between the 4 of them of: 3 total World titles, only 4 total World medals, and only 3 GP event wins if you consider todays GP events those events during Biaul's time. Between Lipinski, Hughes, and Arakawa they have amassed only 2 GP final titles and 6 GP final medals. Between Biaul, Lipinski, and Hughes they have managed a mere 1 European or U.S National title. Between Slutskaya and Kwan they have amassed 7 total Word titles, 15 total World medals, 5 GP final titles and 14 GP finals, 16 combined European/U.S National titles, 28 GP event wins.
Yet those 4 each have an Olympic Gold medal, while the 2 women who have defined womens skating for over a decade, two of the best in the history of our sport have not a gold medal between them.
). What breaks my heart even more is that Kurt and Todd don't have any Olympic medals at all. 
