Weld Blanchard and Niles were a winning team off the ice as well, co-founding SKATING magazine in 1923. When we talk the greats in the world, regardless of gender, Witt should be at the forefront of that conversation. Witt won singles gold for East Germany at the 1984 and ’88 Winter Games. In addition, she is a four-time world champion and joined Sonja Henie in winning six consecutive European Championships ( ).
- She won the 1984 Olympic title in Sarajevo, with reigning World champion Rosalynn Sumners of the United States in second.
- Yamamoto Sota (94.44) and home hope Jin Boyang (89.41) rounded out the top five in what was a strong final group among the men.
- Jason Brown, the former Olympian and 2015 U.S. champion, was another fan favorite from the men’s side.
- In 1996, Yamaguchi started the Always Dream Foundation, which focuses on childhood literacy.
In the realm of pairs skating, Gordeeva and Grinkov were among the best — and most tragic. The 1994 gold medalists at Lillehammer and four-time world champions were skating royalty when Grinkov collapsed during a training session in November 1995 and died from a massive attack. He was just 28 years old, and Gordeeva was 24 at the time, with a 3-year-old daughter. There’s a good bet any young girl with dark hair living in America in the mid-to-late 1970s sported the famed Dorothy Hamill bobbed haircut. Especially in 1976, when the 19-year-old became America’s skating sweetheart while winning Olympic gold and also placing first at the world championships.
The 29-year-old didn’t have his best short program in Columbus, having one point deducted for a fall, which landed him in third place, but no stranger to road bumps, the veteran remained positive after his performance. That crowd was treated to another bit of history within the women’s free skate program during Mia Kalin’s performance earlier in the event. Although she didn’t finish on the podium, the 15-year-old became the first woman to cleanly land a quadruple jump (a skill with four turns, also known as a « quad ») at the U.S.
Competitive career
She is the first woman to complete a triple loop-triple loop combination, her signature jump element, in competition. Her signature « Hamill Camel » spin and captivating figure skating performances redefined artistry on the ice. Albright’s narrative is one of remarkable ability, commitment, and fortitude. She left an indelible effect on figure skating and beyond, shattering barriers both on the ice and in the medical sector.
She clinched Olympic gold at the 1960 Squaw Valley Games, dazzling audiences with her athleticism and grace. Yamaguchi, Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan represent the only nation to sweep a ladies World podium. In 1996, Yamaguchi started the Always Dream Foundation, which focuses on childhood literacy. The foundation, in its 25th year, also provides underserved communities with afterschool programs, computers, back-to-school clothes and summer camps for children with disabilities.
Ava Marie Ziegler on mindset, maturity and motivation: ‘I’ve grown a lot as a skater’
While she had some technical problems, completing only three of her planned five triples, she delivered perhaps the most emotional and moving performance of the whole evening. Tara Lipinski is the 1998 Olympic ladies champion, 1997 World champion and 1997 U.S. champion. Until 2019, https://accounting-services.net/ Lipinski was the youngest skater to win a U.S. title, along with the youngest to win a World and Olympic title. Lipinski was the first woman to complete a triple loop-triple loop combination in competition. Today, Lipinski serves as a figure skating commentator for NBC Sports.
Trending Teams
However, she stepped out of three jumps, including the legendary triple flip, the complex element she was the very first woman to accomplish, and a relatively easy double axel, which cost her the long program win and the overall gold medal. The eventual winner of the competition was Elaine Zayak, who landed six triples. The next season, she won her first European title but finished off the World podium in fourth place, because she was 8th in compulsory figures despite winning the combined free skating.
Gracie Gold, 26
After retiring from competitive skating, She has worked as a commentator for numerous figure skating events, including the Olympics. Kristi Yamaguchi is a retired American figure skater who competed in the women’s singles event. These skaters and countless others stand as testaments to the enduring power and inspiring legacy of American women in figure skating. Skating last, Kagiyama nailed a quadruple Salchow to open his « Believer » short, then added a quad toe-triple toe followed by an aggressive triple Axel. Reigning world silver medallist Cha Jun-hwan of the Republic of Korea rounds out the top three with a 95.30 in what was a quality final group in the men’s short program on Thursday evening (1 February) in Shanghai. Olympic and world medallist Kagiyama Yuma was just a point off of his career-best short program score to skate into the lead at the 2024 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.
Witt then went on to win her first World title in dominant fashion (without Sumners) winning all three phases of the competition. She said then she planned to continue a while longer but did not see herself likely making it to the 1988 Calgary Olympics. Arguably the greatest pairs skater in the history of the sport, Rodnina was a force for the Soviet Union from the late 1960s through the early 1980s. Rodnina is the only skater to win 10 straight world championships ( ) and three consecutive Olympics gold medals (1972, ’76 and ’80) for pairs skating. Teamed with Alexei Ulanov then Alexander Zaitsev, Rodnina was the first pairs skater to win Olympic gold with two different partners. Perhaps the greatest female skater in U.S. history, Kwan never won Olympic gold but did capture silver in 1998 and the bronze in 2002.
American Female Figure Skaters
Later, she continued at Holiday on Ice in the United States and in western Europe. She also became an actress in the film Carmen on Ice (1989), which expanded upon her gold-medal free program in Calgary. Not only is Plushenko perhaps the greatest male singles skater in Russian history, but he also is right up there with the best in world. He’s a four-time Olympic medalist (tied for second all time) with singles gold in 2006 and team gold in ’14. Plushenko also brought home the silver medal at the 2002 and ’10 Winter Games. He’s a seven-time European champion, a three-time World champion, and even dabbled, though rather unsuccessfully, in politics in his homeland.
They are the first Americans to win ice dance titles at the Olympics and World Championships. In 2014, she was named the Women’s Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year. Davis serves as an athlete adviser for the Women’s Sports Foundation and is on the leadership team of Figure Skating in Detroit. Though Browning never won an Olympic medal, he is one of the most successful and popular Canadian figure skaters of all time. A member of the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, Browning is a four-time world champion (1989, ’90, ’91 and ’93) and also took home a silver.
Republic of Korea skater Kim Chae-yeon sits second on 69.77 points as Chiba’s closest challenger, while Ava Marie Ziegler of the U.S. – the NHK Trophy champion from earlier this season – is third on 68.25. With Levito lined up to close out the event, there famous ice skaters female was an opening for her to walk out as the national champion for the second year in a row. From the beginning of her skate, however, Levito struggled, and she suffered a couple falls that led to a deduction of four points and a third-place finish.
