Oksana Baiul

[silverpond]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oksana_Baiul

I’m sure many of us remember the 1993 World Figure Skating Championships, held in Prague, during which time 15-year-old Oksana Baiul of the Ukraine shocked the world by winning the World title in her first attempt. The athleticism and artistry of this young lady was truly amazing, and was she ever a strong competitor! :thumbsup:

Oksana won the Olympic gold medal the following year, in a controversial decision, over Nancy Kerrigan, who was riding a tsunami of popularity and international fame in the wake of her recovery from the knee clubbing attack that occurred during the US Nationals the previous month. Kerrigan skated very well, won the short program and was second in the long program, while Baiul was second in the short and won the long program. It was a razor-thin decision – 5/4.

A very touching biography was aired throughout the Olympics, of how Oksana was an orphan – recently lost her mother – and was living with her figure skating coach. She was, effectively, “nobody’s daughter”.

She turned pro very soon thereafter and skated in a number of competitions and tours. I remember watching a made-for-television competition between Oksana and Kristi Yamaguchi, which Yamaguchi won. During the competition, Kurt Browning, who was one of the commentators, said (sic) “It will be so much fun sitting in our living rooms and watch this young lady grow up.”

I for one would have been delighted to have Oksana rejoin the eligible ranks for the 1998 Olympics. Can you imagine the competition that could have been – Oksana, Michelle, and Tara. WOW! :yay:

Does anyone know if Oksana is still skating? Perhaps she’s coaching at this time.

 

[blue dog]

According to Oksana's current rep, she is not coaching and she will be skating at some shows this upcoming season

http://figureskating.about.com/od/F...mpic-Figure-Skating-Champion-Oksana-Baiul.htm

 

[evangeline]

I for one would have been delight...r style and improve her technical weaknesses.

 

[silverpond]

It is highly unlikely that Oksana would've been competitive with Michelle and Tara by 1998. By 1998 Oksana wasn't quite the waif she was in Lillehammer due to her maturing body and moreover, injuries soon began to set in--IIRC, Oksana had to undergo serious knee surgery soon after her Olympic win, and she further aggravated the injury by returning to the ice too soon to skate in shows after surgery, which more or less destroyed her jumps.

And realistically, even discounting injuries, etc., it'll have been unlikely that Oksana's penchant for 2-footing as well as questionable technical content would have stacked up to Michelle or Tara in their primes. But all things being said, Oksana was an extremely beautiful skater and I wish she remained healthy and competitive longer to fully mature her style and improve her technical weaknesses.

We'll never know for sure whether or not Oksana would have or could have been competitive against Michelle, Tara, and the other top skaters who followed her to the top from 1994-1998, had she recovered from her various illnesses, including the knee injury that nearly ended her skating career. Yes, she did gain weight during the years following her Olympic win, and she would have had to manage to maintain/improve her jumping technique to have a chance at defending her OGM.

I was sorry that her time at the top was relatively short and she did not have a lengthy successful competitive career as Kwan did. Had she decided to return to the competitive arena, perhaps she could have remained in Connecticut and continued to train there, while representing the Ukraine.

Oksana was truly a magical skater in her competitive days, IMHO.