Michelle Kwan

Michelle Kwan
File:Kwan,Michelle.jpg
Personal Information
Country : Federation	United States of America : USFSA
Status	Olympic Eligible
Skating Club	Los Angeles FSC
Residence	Torrance, California
Coach	Rafael Arutunian
Former Coaches	Frank Carroll, Scott Williams
Choreographer	Tatiana Tarasova
Former Choreographer(s)	Lori Nichol, Nikolai Morozov, Sarah Kawahara, Peter Oppegard, Karen Kwan, Christopher Dean
Olympic Games
2nd Place	1998: Nagano, Japan
3rd Place	2002: Salt Lake City, U.S.
World Championships
1st Place	1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003
2nd Place	1997, 1999, 2002
3rd Place	2004
National Championships
1st Place	1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
2nd Place	1994, 1995, 1997
Personal Best Records
Short Program + Free Skate Scores	175.20 : 2005 Worlds
Short Program Score	61.22 : 2005 Worlds
Free Skate Score	113.98 : 2005 Worlds
Career Total 6.0s	57

Michelle Kwan skating in the 2004 World Figure Skating Championships Exhibition in Dortmund, Germany

Michelle Wing Kwan (simplified Chinese: 关颖珊; traditional Chinese: 關穎珊; pinyin: Guān Yǐngshān; born July 7 1980), is an American figure skater and media celebrity who has won nine U.S. championships, five world championships, and two Olympic medals. She has remained competitive for over a decade and is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history. Known for her consistency and expressive artistry on ice, she is widely considered to be one of the greatest figure skaters of all time despite having never won an Olympic gold medal.

Personal biography

Born in Torrance, California, Kwan is the third child of Danny and Estella Kwan, Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong. As a child, Kwan grew up speaking a mixture of Cantonese and English at home. In addition, she also speaks some conversational Mandarin. Kwan's interest in figure skating began at the age of five when she followed her two older siblings (ice hockey player Ron and figure skater Karen) onto the ice. Karen and Michelle began serious training when Michelle was about 8 years old. They practiced three to four hours a day, waking up at 3am to skate before school and going back to the rink right after school to skate again. Paying for their increased rink time led to financial hardship for Kwan's working class family. Her mother took on a second job and her father started working extra hours to finance the rink time and coaching fees. Eventually the family decided to sell their house, but that still wasn't enough to finance the skating. When Kwan was ten years old, her family could no longer afford a coach, but they were offered financial assistance by another member of the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club that allowed them to train at the Ice Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead, California. During competitions, Kwan always wears a gold dragon necklace that her grandmother gave her.

Kwan was homeschooled starting at the age of 13 and finished her high school education with an "A" average. After graduating from Rim of the World high school in 1999, she attended UCLA for one year. In 2005, Michelle Kwan's family opened the EastWest Ice Palace, touted as "the home of Michelle Kwan." The ice rink houses many of her skating medals and memorabilias . In the fall of 2006 she transferred to the University of Denver with the intent to major in political science with a minor in international studies.

Many of Kwan's costumes were designed by famed wedding dress designer Vera Wang, who herself was a figure skater. These costumes cost a minimum of $20,000 to make.

Personal activities

File:SimpHomer Kwan 2 72.jpg

Kwan as a character in the TV show The Simpsons

Kwan has guest starred as herself in "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass", an episode of The Simpsons, and in the Family Guy episode "A Hero Sits Next Door". She also made a guest star appearance in children's cartoon TV show Arthur. She provided the voice of a shopkeeper in the Disney direct-to-DVD sequel Mulan II, and she and fellow figure skater Brian Boitano appeared as announcers in the film Ice Princess. She has performed in numerous figure skating programs, and has cameo appearances in various other television series. In 1999, she appeared in the Michelle Kwan Figure Skating computer game.

Kwan wrote an inspirational book for kids titled, The Winning Attitude: What it Takes to be a Champion. She also wrote an autobiography, Heart of a Champion, at 17. She is the MF-owner of the East West Ice Palace in Artesia, California.

Kwan dined with U.S. President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao during President Hu's 2006 state visit to the United States.

The Chevrolet/Michelle Kwan R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Scholarship program was established by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors in cooperation with Kwan. The scholarship is awarded annually to 10 outstanding female high school graduates from across the United States who are involved in athletics. Each scholarship provides a $5,000 award payable over four years: $2,000 for the freshman year and $1,000 per year for up to three additional years, contingent upon maintaining minimum eligibility criteria each year.

Kwan starred in a 2006 television commercial for Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing, which features her at home improvising a salad out of various contents of her refrigerator to the tune of "Otto's Journey" by cutting-edge Scottish electronica artist Mylo.

Competitive biography

Summary

Kwan has won five World Championships (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003), the most by anyone in the ladies' division since Carol Heiss (1956 - 1960), with whom she is tied for the most wins by an American. She has won nine United States Figure Skating Championships (1996, 1998-2005), tying the record for most set by Maribel Vinson-Owen (1928 - 1933, 1935 - 1937). Kwan's eight consecutive U.S. Championship titles (1998-2005) and 12 consecutive U.S. Championship medals (1994-2005) are both U.S. records. She is the only woman in figure skating history to reclaim the World title three times (1998, 2000, 2003). She has also won a silver medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and a bronze medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Among her many accolades, Kwan is a recipient of the prestigious Sullivan Award, which is given to America's best amateur athlete; she was the first figure skater to win the award since Dick Button won it in 1949. Kwan has received a combined total of 57 6.0s (perfect scores) from her National and World competitions throughout the years. At the U.S. Nationals alone, she holds the record for most 6.0s. Because figure skating is no longer scored on a 6.0 scale, Kwan's records will stand indefinitely.

Early competition

In 1991 Karen and Michelle began training with Frank Carroll, a leading figure skating coach. After one year of coaching by Carroll, 11-year old Michelle placed 9th at the Junior U.S. Nationals. At the age of 12 in 1992, Kwan passed a test to become a senior-level figure skater despite the disapproval of her coach. In 1993, Kwan finished sixth at her first senior U.S. championships and later that year she won the 1994 World Junior title.

In 1994, Kwan finished second to Tonya Harding at the U.S. championships, which ordinarily would have earned her a spot on the U.S. team to the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. That place, however, was instead given to 1993 national champion Nancy Kerrigan, who had been sidelined by an assault and battery (eventually connected to Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly), after a practice session at those championships. The 13-year-old Kwan went to Norway as an alternate but did not compete. Kerrigan and Harding both dropped out of eligible competition before the 1994 World Championships, where Kwan competed and finished eighth.

At the 1995 U.S. Championships, Nicole Bobek captured the gold medal, while Kwan again placed second after struggling with her lutz jump in both the short program and free skate. She advanced to the 1995 World Championships, where announcers and media called her a "jumping bean"; during her performances, she landed 7 clean triple jumps--more than any other skater--but placed 4th.

Artistic development and 1998 Olympics

Following 1995, Kwan and her team thought that she should transform herself from a "jumping bean" to a figure skating artist in order for her to emerge as an Olympic champion hopeful. This transformation manifested itself in her new competitive programs, "Romanza" (short program) and "Salome" (free skate). Perhaps more critically, she improved her speed and her jump technique, and performed more difficult choreography. In 1996, Kwan won both the U.S. Championships and the World Championships. In the latter event, she edged out defending champion Lu Chen from China in a very close competition in which both competitors garnered two perfect 6.0s for Presentation in the free skate.

In the 1996–97 season, Kwan skated to "Dream of Desdemona" (short program) and "Taj Mahal" (free skate). It was during this year that Kwan debuted a change-of-edge spiral, which is still considered her signature move. However, in this season, Kwan struggled with her jumps because of a growth spurt and problems with new skating boots which she wore for an endorsement contract with the manufacturer. She fell twice and stumbled once in her free skate at 1997 U.S. Nationals. She also lost the Champion Series Final and World titles to Tara Lipinski that season. At the World championships, she won the free skate but a step-out in the short program had left her too far behind to take the overall title.

Kwan regained her U.S. title from Lipinski at the 1998 championships, in spite of competing with a toe injury. Many people consider her performances of her Rachmaninoff short program and free skate set to William Alwyn's "Lyra Angelica" at the 1998 U.S. Championships to be the high point of her career from both a technical and artistic standpoint. The performance earned her eight perfect 6.0s and left one judge in tears.

Although she was the favorite to win the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, the gold medal was awarded to Lipinski, then 15, with Kwan winning the silver medal and Lu Chen winning the bronze medal. Lipinski and Chen both dropped out of competitive skating shortly after the Olympics, while Kwan went on to win the 1998 World Championships.

New challenges

Kwan continued to compete as an eligible skater in the 1998-99 season, although she bypassed the fall Grand Prix season and instead chose to skate in a series of made-for-television pro-am events. Her "regular" competitive programs that season were "Fate of Carmen" (short program) and "Lamento D'Ariane" (free skate). At the 1999 U.S. Championships, competing against a weak field, Kwan attained her third title; her free skate included a triple toe loop/triple toe loop combination, but she fell on her second triple lutz. At the 1999 World Championships, Kwan was battling a severe case of the flu. She made two major errors in the short program and minor errors in the long program, placing second behind Russian competitor Maria Butyrskaya.

Kwan's win at the 2000 U.S. Nationals was controversial to some . She was criticized for planning an easier jump in her short program than her competitors (a triple toe loop rather than a triple flip), and then she fell on this element in the competition. The judges nevertheless placed her third in that segment behind younger challengers Sasha Cohen and Sarah Hughes;however, the placement still kept her in contention for the title. Ultimately, she won the free skate with the best performance of the night, capturing 8 of the 9 first-place ordinals . At the 2000 World Championships, Kwan was again in third place after the short program, behind Butyrskaya and Irina Slutskaya. In her free skate to music from the film "The Red Violin", Kwan landed seven triples, including a triple toe loop/triple toe loop combination, to win that segment of the competition. Butyrskaya lost her commanding lead by finishing only third behind Slutskaya in the free skate, allowing Kwan to win the overall title as well.

In 2001, Kwan again won the U.S. Championships, receiving first-place ordinals from all 9 judges in both the short program and free skate. At the 2001 World Championships, Kwan was second to Slutskaya in the short program, skating to music from the "East of Eden" TV adaptation. Kwan won the title with her "Song of the Black Swan" free skate, executing 7 triples, including a triple toe loop/triple toe loop combination.

2002 Olympics

In the fall of 2001, Kwan and Carroll decided to end their coaching relationship. In interviews, Kwan said she needed to "take responsibility" for her skating. Prior to the split, Kwan had had a tumultous season, just narrowly winning Skate America. Coachless, Kwan arrived at the 2002 U.S. Championships in Los Angeles amid the media's scrutiny over her separation with Carroll and her season's inconsistencies. Kwan won the competition with a revived "Rachmaninoff" short program and a new "Scheherazade" program for her free skate, securing a place on the 2002 Olympic team. Joining her on the team were Sasha Cohen (second) and Sarah Hughes (third). The 21-year-old Kwan, along with Russia's Irina Slutskaya, were favorites to win the gold. Kwan led after the short program, followed by Slutskaya, Cohen, and Hughes. In the free skate, a combination of a flawed performance by Kwan (two-footing her combination and falling on her triple flip) and the near-perfect performance of Sarah Hughes, saw Kwan receive the bronze medal. During the exhibition gala, Kwan skated a tearful, bittersweet performance to Eva Cassidy's version of "Fields of Gold." Kwan finished the 2002 season with a second place finish at the World Championships.

Continued competition

File:Michelle kwan7.jpg

Kwan midair during a jump at the U.S. Championship finals, January 2005

While the question of Kwan's retirement to the professional level continued to linger, she continued to compete on the Olympic-eligible circuit. She added three more U.S. championships (2003-2005, bringing her consecutive streak to an all-time record eight and total to a shared record of nine) and a fifth World championship (2003) to her list of victories.

Coached by Scott Williams, Kwan won all phases of every competition she entered in the 2002-2003 competitive season with her programs: "The Feeling Begins" (short program) and "Concierto de Aranjuez" (free skate). She won the U.S. Championships again and regained her World title.

In 2003, she hired noted technician Rafael Arutunian as her coach, with whom she attempted to increase the technical difficulty of her programs. Around this time Kwan was receiving criticism from skating experts who believed her programs were not at the same technical level as her competitors'. While her rivals included the more difficult triple salchow-triple loop and triple loop-triple loop jump combinations, Kwan was wary of even attempting these jumps. However, she did occasionally attempt a triple toe-triple toe in competition. In the 2003-2004 competitive season, she skated again to "The Feeling Begins" for her short program, and "Tosca" for her long program. Again, Kwan won the U.S. Championships. At the 2004 World Championships, after a difficult qualifying round, Kwan was penalized in her short program for going two seconds over time. Then, just as she was about to start her free skate, there was a disruption caused by a spectator entering the ice surface, who had to be removed by security staff. In the end, Kwan placed third at the championships behind Shizuka Arakawa of Japan and Sasha Cohen.

During the fall seasons of 2002 to 2004, Kwan competed in only one Grand Prix event, Skate America in the fall of 2002, which she entered as a last-minute replacement. She won the event and qualified for the Grand Prix Final but chose not to compete in it. Kwan chose to not compete in Grand Prix events in the 2003 and 2004 seasons where the new judging system was being used.

For the 2004-2005 competitive season she skated a long program to the "Boléro" music made famous by ice dancers Torvill and Dean two decades before, and debuted a new short program, "Adagio" from Aram Khachaturian's ballet Spartacus. At the U.S. Championships, she won her 9th title, tying the all-time record previously set by Maribel Vinson-Owen. Interestingly, Vinson-Owen had coached Frank Carroll, who in turn coached Kwan. At the 2005 World Championship, Kwan did not skate her best, falling on her triple salchow and two-footed a triple lutz. She finished fourth by 0.37 points. For the first time since 1995, Kwan finished off the podium at the World Championships. Later, Kwan commented that her lack of experience with the new Code of Points had affected her performance.

Withdrawal from the 2006 Olympics

Kwan looked at the 2005 Worlds as a learning experience in the new judging system. She continued to train and stated that she would attempt to qualify for the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. However, following a hip injury, she was forced to withdraw from her three planned competitions in the fall of 2005. Kwan skated her new short program ("Totentanz") at a made-for-TV event in December, 2005, but her performance was well below her usual standard. On January 4, 2006, Kwan withdrew from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships with an abdominal injury incurred in December 2005. One week later, she filed a petition with United States Figure Skating for a medical waiver to be placed on the 2006 Olympic figure skating team. On January 14, 2006, on the same night after the United States ladies' figure skating event, the United States Figure Skating International Committee met and in a 20 to 3 vote approved Kwan's petition under the stipulation that she show her physical and competitive readiness to a five-member monitoring panel by January 27.

Kwan performed her long and short programs for the panel on the stipulated day, and her spot on the Olympic team was established, as the panel felt she was fit to compete. However, on February 12, 2006, the United States Olympic Committee announced that Kwan had withdrawn from the Games after suffering a new groin injury in her first practice in Turin. Kwan remarked that she "respected the Olympics too much to compete." The Turin organizing committee accepted the USOC's application for Emily Hughes (who had finished third at the U.S. Championships) to compete as Kwan's replacement. Shizuka Arakawa of Japan went on to win the ladies' event.

Kwan's future

After her withdrawal from the Olympic team, Kwan turned down an offer to stay in Turin as a figure skating commentator for NBC Sports. On February 16, 2006, The Walt Disney Company announced that Kwan will "serve as a celebrity representative and spokesperson for businesses across the entire range of The Walt Disney Company". This includes participating in advertising, promotions, public service announcements, making guest appearances on Disney shows, and making personal appearances at live Disney events.

During an interview with Bob Costas and Scott Hamilton, Michelle Kwan said she was not retiring yet. Speculation abounds as to whether Kwan will stay on the figure skating scene until the 2010 Olympics. If she continues to the 2010 games, she will be 29 years old.

After completing the spring and summer Champions on Ice tour, Kwan underwent elective arthroscopic surgery in August, 2006 to repair a torn labrum in her right hip, an old injury which she sustained during the 2004-2005 season. Kwan announced she will be attending University of Denver as a full time student this year as a Political Science major with a minor in International Studies. She will not compete during the 2006-2007 figure skating season.

Awards and accolades

Among her many accolades, Kwan is a recipient of the prestigious Sullivan Award (2001), which is given to America's best amateur athlete; she was the first figure skater to win the award since Dick Button won it in 1949. In 2003 she was named the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) "Sportswoman of the Year", and is the 5th figure skater in history to receive this honor. She has also been named USOC "Athlete of the Month" 14 times, which is more than any other athlete, male or female, as well as being named "Female Figure Skating Athlete of the Year" by the USOC multiple times. She is also the recipient of the USOC's "Citizenship Through Sports Alliance Award" (2004).

Kwan is the only multiple winner of the "Readers' Choice Figure Skater of the Year" award given by Skating magazine (1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001-2003). In 2003, the United States Figure Skating Association, which publishes Skating, announced that the award would be renamed the "Michelle Kwan Trophy." The USFSA stated that although Kwan may continue to skate competitively, she will no longer be eligible for this award. She also appeared on International Figure Skating Magazine's "25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating List" seven times, and was named the most influential skater for the 2002-03 season.

On November 9, 2006, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named Michelle Kwan as a public diplomacy ambassador. In this non-salaried position, Kwan will represent American values especially to young people and sports enthusiasts and is expected to travel widely.

Competitive career details

Kwan's competitive history spans over a decade, as she has been competing at the national level since she was 12 years old. This section shows her record in the U.S., World and Olympic Championships, along with the other top skaters she has competed against. The table at the top of this page below serves as a summary of some of Michelle Kwan's major competition results.

Major events

Major events for Olympic-eligible skaters include the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, World Figure Skating Championships, the Olympic Winter Games, and the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Kwan's record in these events is listed by season in the tables below.

2005-06 Season

Kwan did not compete in any major events in this season due to injury.

Programs	Music	Notes
Short Program	Totentanz	Choreographed by Tatiana Tarasova
Free Skate	Rachmaninoff (Prelude in C Minor)	Choreographed by Tatiana Tarasova
Exhibitions	A Song for You	Choreographed by Sarah Kawahara

2004-05 Season

The 2005 World Championship was the first time Kwan competed in the new judging system.

Programs	Music	Notes
Short Program	Spartacus	Choreographed by Nikolai Morosov; Earned 3 6.0s at Nationals
Free Skate	Bolero	Choreographed by Christopher Dean; Earned 4 6.0s at Nationals
Exhibition	You Raise Me Up
Exhibition (II)	This Used To Be My Playground	Choreographed by Michelle Kwan

Phase	U.S. Championships	World Championships	Grand Prix Series
Overall	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sasha Cohen 3-B. Kimmie Meissner	1-G. Irina Slutskaya 2-S. Sasha Cohen 3-B. Carolina Kostner 4. Michelle Kwan	Kwan withdrew from both Skate America and Skate Canada
Qualifying Round		Tied for 9th
Short Program	1st	3rd
Long Program	1st	3rd

2003-04 Season

Kwan competed lightly in this season, withdrawing from her Grand Prix assignments.

Programs	Music	Notes
Short Program	The Feeling Begins	Choreographed by Nikolai Morosov
Free Skate	Tosca	Choreographed by Nikolai Morosov; Earned 7 6.0s at Nationals, 6 6.0s at Worlds
Exhibition	Fallin'	Choreographed by Brian Wright

Phase	U.S. Championships	World Championships	Grand Prix Series
Overall	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sasha Cohen 3-B. Jennifer Kirk	1-G. Shizuka Arakawa 2-S. Sasha Cohen 3-B. Michelle Kwan	Kwan withdrew from both Skate America and Skate Canada
Qualifying Round		Tied for 6th
Short Program		4th
Long Program	1st	2nd

2002-03 Season

In this season, Kwan won every competition she entered, as well as all the phases of each competition.

Programs	Music	Notes
Short Program	The Feeling Begins	Choreographed by Nikolai Morosov; Earned 1 6.0 at Worlds
Free Skate	Concierto de Aranjuez	Choreographed by Karen Kwan, Michelle Kwan, Peter Oppegard, Nikolai Morosov; Earned 1 6.0 at Nationals, 2 6.0s at Worlds
Exhibition	Fields of Gold	Choreographed by Sarah Kawahara

Phase	U.S. Championships	World Championship	Grand Prix Series: Skate America	Grand Prix Series: Final
Overall	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sarah Hughes 3-B. Sasha Cohen	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Elena Sokolova 3-B. Fumie Suguri	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Ann Patrice McDonough 3-B. Elena Liashenko	Kwan qualified with her win from Skate America but withdrew from the Grand Prix Series Final
Qualifying Round		1st
Short Program	1st	1st	1st
Long Program	1st	1st	1st

2001-02 Season

Programs	Music	Notes
Short Program	Rachmaninoff	Choreographed by Lori Nichol
Free Skate	Scheherazade	Choreographed by Sarah Kawahara; Earned 2 6.0s at Nationals
Exhibition	Fields of Gold	Choreographed by Sarah Kawahara

Phase	U.S. Championships	World Championships	Olympic Championship	Grand Prix Series: Skate America	Grand Prix Series: Skate Canada	Grand Prix Series: Final
Overall	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sasha Cohen 3-B. Sarah Hughes	1-G. Irina Slutskaya 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Fumie Suguri	1-G. Sarah Hughes 2-S. Irina Slutskaya 3-B. Michelle Kwan	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sarah Hughes 3-B. Viktoria Volchkova	1-G. Sarah Hughes 2-S. Irina Slutskaya 3-B. Michelle Kwan	1-G. Irina Slutskaya 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Sarah Hughes
Qualifying Round		1st				3rd
Short Program	1st	3rd	1st	1st	2nd	2nd
Free Skate	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	3rd	2nd

2000-01 Season

Programs	Music	Notes
Short Program (I)	East of Eden	Choreographed by Lori Nichol; Earned 7 6.0s at Nationals
Short Program (II)	Rush	Choreographed by Christopher Dean
Free Skate (I)	Song of the Black Swan	Choreographed by Lori Nichol; Earned 2 6.0s at Nationals
Free Skate (II)	Miraculous Mandarin	Choreographed by Peter Oppegard
Exhibition (I)	Beautiful World	Choreographed by Lori Nichol
Exhibition (II)	This Time Around

Phase	U.S. Championships	World Championships	Grand Prix Series: Skate America	Grand Prix Series: Skate Canada	Grand Prix Series: Final
Overall	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sarah Hughes 3-B. Angela Nikodinov	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Irina Slutskaya 3-B. Sarah Hughes	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sarah Hughes 3-B. Elena Sokolova	1-G. Irina Slutskaya 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Fumie Suguri	1-G. Irina Slutskaya 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Sarah Hughes
Qualifying		1st
Short Program	1st	2nd	1st	2nd	2nd
Free Skate	1st	1st	1st	2nd	2nd

1999-00 Season

Programs	Music	Notes
Short Program	A Day In The Life	Choreographed by Lori Nichol
Free Skate	The Red Violin	Choreographed by Lori Nichol
Exhibition	The World Is Not Enough	Choreographed by Lori Nichol
Exhibition (II)	Hands	Choreographed by Philip Mills

Phase	U.S. Championships	World Championships	Grand Prix Series: Skate America	Grand Prix Series: Skate Canada	Grand Prix Series: Final
Overall	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Sasha Cohen 3-B. Sarah Hughes	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Irina Slutskaya 3-B. Maria Butyrskaya	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Julia Soldatova 3-B. Elena Sokolova	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Julia Soldatova 3-B. Jennifer Robinson	1-G. Irina Slutskaya 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Maria Butyrskaya
Qualifying		2nd
Short Program	3rd	3rd	1st	1st
Free Skate	1st	1st	1st	1st

1998-99 Season

Programs	Music	Notes
Short Program	The Fate of Carmen	Choreographed by Lori Nichol
Free Skate	Lemento D'Arianne	Choreographed by Lori Nichol
Exhibition	Kissing You	Choreographed by Philip Mills

Phase	U.S. Championships	World Championships	Grand Prix Series: Skate America	Grand Prix Series: Skate Canada	Grand Prix Series: Final
Overall	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Naomi Nari Nam 3-B. Angela Nikodinov	1-G. Maria Butyrskaya 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Julia Soldatova
Qualifying
Short Program	1st	4th
Free Skate	1st	2nd

1997-98 Season

Programs	Music	Notes
Short Program	Rachmaninoff	Choreographed by Lori Nichol; Earned 7 6.0s at Nationals
Free Skate	Lyra Angelica	Choreographed by Lori Nichol; Earned 8 6.0s at Nationals (out of 9 possible)
Exhibition	On My Own

Phase	U.S. Championships	World Championships	Olympic Games	Champions Series: Skate America	Champions Series: Skate Canada	Champions Series: Final
Overall	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Tara Lipinski 3-B. Nicole Bobek	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Irina Slutskaya 3-B. Maria Butyrskaya	1-G. Tara Lipinski 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Lu Chen	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Tara Lipinski 3-B. Elena Sokolova	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Maria Butyrskaya 3-B. Surya Bonaly
Qualifying
Short Program	1st	1st	1st
Free Skate	1st	1st	2nd

1996-97 Season

Programs	Music	Notes
Short Program	Dream of Desdemona	Choreographed by Lori Nichol
Free Skate	Taj Mahal
Exhibition	Winter	Choreographed by Michelle Kwan

Phase	U.S. Championships	World Championships	Champions Series: Skate America	Champions Series: Skate Canada	Champions Series: Final
Overall	1-G. Tara Lipinski 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Nicole Bobek	1-G. Tara Lipinski 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Vanessa Gusmeroli	1-G. Michelle Kwan		1-G. Tara Lipinski 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Irina Slutskaya
Qualifying
Short Program	1st	4th			3rd
Free Skate	2nd	1st			2nd

1995-96 Season

Programs	Music	Notes
Short Program	Romanza
Free Skate	Salome	Choreographed by Lori Nichol; Earned 2 6.0s at Worlds
Exhibition	East of Eden	Choreographed by Lori Nichol

Phase	U.S. Championships	World Championships	Champions Series: Skate America	Champion Series: Skate Canada	Champion Series: Final
Overall	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Tonia Kwiatkowski 3-B. Tara Lipinski	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Lu Chen 3-B. Irina Slutskaya	1-G. Michelle Kwan	1-G. Michelle Kwan	1-G. Michelle Kwan
Qualifying
Short Program	1st	1st	3rd		4th
Free Skate	1st	1st	1st		1st

1994-95 Season

Programs	Music	Notes
Short Program	Yellow River
Free Skate	Rondo Capriccioso
Exhibition	Greensleeves

Phase	U.S. Championships	World Championships	Skate America	Trophee de France
Overall	1-G. Nicole Bobek 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Tonia Kwiatkowski	1-G. Lu Chen 2-S. Surya Bonaly 3-B. Nicole Bobek 4. Michelle Kwan	2-S. Michelle Kwan	3-B. Michelle Kwan
Qualifying
Short Program
Free Skate

1993-94 Season

Programs	Music	Notes
Short Program	Song of India
Free Skate	East of Eden
Exhibition

Phase	U.S. Championships	World Championships	World Junior Championships	Olympic Games
Overall	1-G. Tonya Harding / later vacant 2-S. Michelle Kwan 3-B. Nicole Bobek	1-G. Yuka Sato 2-S. Surya Bonaly 3-B. Tanya Szewczenko 8. Michelle Kwan	1-G. Michelle Kwan 2-S. Kristina Czako 3-B. Irina Slutskaya	1-G. Oksana Baiul 2-S. Nancy Kerrigan 3-B. Lu Chen * Michelle Kwan served as an alternate to Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan
Qualifying
Short Program
Free Skate

1992-93 Season

Phase	U.S. Championships
Overall	1-G. Nancy Kerrigan 2-S. Lisa Ervin 3-B. Tonia Kwiatkowski 6. Michelle Kwan
Short Program
Free Skate

1991-92 Season

Phase	U.S. Championships
Overall	Junior Level 9. Michelle Kwan
Short Program
Free Skate

Other competitive events

Other competitive events include made-for-TV pro-am and team format events sanctioned by the ISU or USFSA, but conducted under non-standard rules and judging.

Other Notable Singles Competitions

Other Notable Singles Competitions
Year	Event	Finish	Year	Event	Finish
1993	U.S. Olympic Festival	1st	1998	Masters of Figure Skating	1st
1993	Gardena Spring Trophy	1st	1998	U.S. Pro Classic	1st
1994	Thrifty Car Rental International Challenge	3rd	1998	Grand Slam of Figure Skating	1st
1994	Trophy de France	3rd	1999	Masters of Figure Skating	1st
1994	U.S. Outdoor Challenge	1st	1999	Japan Open	1st
1994	Goodwill Games	2nd	2000	Canadian Open	2nd
1994	Hershey's Kisses Pro-Am Championships	2nd	2000	Masters of Figure Skating	1st
1995	Nations Cup	1st	2000	Japan Open	1st
1995	Best of the Best	2nd	2001	Smart Ones Skate America	1st
1995	Hershey's Kisses Challenge	1st	2001	Masters of Figure Skating	2nd
1996	Ultimate Four	1st	2001	Goodwill Games	2nd
1996	Trophée Lalique	1st	2002	Campbell's Classic	1st
1996	The Continents Cup	1st	2003	International Figue Skating Challenge	1st
1996	Centennial on Ice	3rd	2003	Campbell's Classic	2nd
1996	Champions Series Final	1st	2003	ABC Sports International Challenge	1st
1997	Champions Series Final	2nd	2004	Marshalls World Cup	2nd
1997	Japan Open	1st	2004	Marshalls World Figure Skating Challenge	3rd
1998	Goodwill Games	1st	2004	Campbell's Classic	1st
1998	Ultimate Four	1st	2004	Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating Challenge	1st
1998	World Professional Championships	1st	2005	Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating Challenge	1st

Other Notable Team Competition

Other Notable Team Competitions
Year	Event	Finish	Year	Event	Finish
1995	U.S. Postal Service Challenge (team)	1st	1999	Hershey's Kisses USA vs. the World (team)	1st
1995	World Team Challenge	4th	1999	Keri Lotion Figure Skating Classic (team)	2nd
1996	Hershey's Kisses Challenge (team)	1st	1999	Hershey's Kisses Challenge (team)	2nd
1996	U.S. Postal Service Challenge (team)	1st	2000	International Figure Skating Challenge (team)	2nd
1997	Hershey's Kisses Challenge (team)	1st	2001	Hershey's Kisses Challenge (team)	1st
1997	Nice 'n Easy Classic (team)	2nd	2002	Hershey's Kisses Challenge (team)	2nd

Quotes

• "As a child, I'd wonder, 'When I die, will people still remember me 1,000 years later?' And without the gold medal... Well, the Olympics are the ultimate achievement in my sport. At times I think, 'Why should I push myself all those long hours in the rink?' But then I think, 'How will I ever know how good I could have been?' I want to be the Michael Jordan of my sport."
• "Work hard, have fun, and be yourself." - Michelle Kwan's motto, appears on publicity cards.

External links

• International Skating Union (ISU) Skater Biography
• Official U.S. Olympic Team Biography with links to three photo galleries
• NBCOlympics.com Athlete Biography with news, results, videos, and photos
• AAJA statements regarding headline controversy after 2002 Olympics