Well then it makes just as little sense to only bring up those who achieved things on the way to gold medal and compare them!
Actually when people try to undercut the value of winning the Olympic Gold medal or the meaning it has to ones career, even Kwan's, it does make more sense to bring up the more accomplished people to have won Olympic Gold, not just the least accomplished and most surprising people. People often try to undermine the value of an Olympic Gold, especialy to Kwan, by bringing up Lipinski, Hughes, or Baiul, who while some of the most recent also are some of the least accomplished and least memorable. Well in that case it makes perfect sense to instead bring up those who have had more complete careers, and in addition won the Olympic Gold (or even two like Witt).
People already know that Kwan had a more successful career then those recent Olympic Champions. That does not mean it wouldnt be of value to her career to have won it in the big picture, and reminding that their are other Olympic Champions then the more recent ones.
Compare even the last four ladies OGMedalist and Fleming, Witt, Hamill etc and you may conclude that something has changed. Going from those who were in the sport before they won making strides and some after even as professionals to those who came in grabbed the medal and left (it is too soon to tell with Arikawara) without making many positive ripples afterwards.
Yes indeed it seems to be a recent pattern. However the fact that the most recent Oly Gold medalist, while not a skater with a long and proven track record the way Kwan or even Slutskaya has is an older and more mature skater, might be an indication of this recent trend being just a phase, and we will return to some more established and longer term champions coming through at the Olympics. We will see.
Most of the time I hear Kwan compared to those who won the OGM over her and so the comparison is valid. But even if you go back and compare her to Witt, Hamill et al I would have a hard time saying that Kwan has less of a legacy or has had less of an impact on the sport then those women all because she lacks an OGM.
Legacy and impact is one thing. The completeness of ones career or achievements is something else. Janet Lynn on one hand may have had more impact and be a more legendary figure then any women in the sports history, including Kwan. On the other hand, because she was unfortunate enough to be significantly weaker then some of her main competitors at the compulsory figures, at a time the compulsory figures were a major part of the sport, her actual "achievements" as a skater are very similar to someone like Fumie Suguri. While this does not impact her popularity, it definitely does bother her, any of the documentaries you may see of her are quite touching, and shows just how much it does bother her to this day. Dorothy Hamill has had just as much impact, and seems to have just as much a legacy as fellow great Peggy Fleming; yet her period of dominance, achievements, and career success, fall well short of Peggy's, 5 U.S titles to 3, 3 World titles to 1, 1 Oly Gold for each. So it all depends on what type of success you are talking about, there are many different kinds. If ultimate impact to the sport are the only thing you want to look at, then you are perhaps right.
Although is Kwan's impact in other parts of the World, like say in Europe, even without the Olympic Gold, really on par with someone like Witt? That is something I am not as sure about as say Lynn's impact Worldwide, although it isnt as evident to me.
think there is a personality factor at play as well.
Back in Peggy's day there was a winner, brought to you by the single tv network that played such things and your local paper. An OGMedlist behaved in a certain way and the winner was expected live up to such expectations (think old Hollywood when the studio picked who you dated etc). The role was scripted and played.
Now days there is winner and all the others whose stories and words are spread through mutiple cable networks, print media and the Internet. Now people can look at how the winners and non-winners react and behave through every minute of the games and then in the parking lot and the parade grounds, and the night clubs etc, etc. The person is takign center stage more so then the medal.
I agree.
