Michelle Kwan Will Not Compete In The 2010 Vancouver Olympics
August 1, 2009
Michelle Kwan, 29, has announced that she will not compete in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in February, ending her career without ever achieving the Olympic Gold, and will instead attend graduate school full time.
U.S. Figure Skating released a statement saying Michelle will be attending graduate school full time at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and will be pursuing a master’s degree in international affairs.
Go Girl!
Michelle Kwan is a nine-time U.S. champion, five-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist, winning silver in 1998 and the bronze in 2002.
August 6th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
[...] Michelle Kwan Will Not Compete In The 2010 Vancouver Olympics [...]
August 14th, 2009 at 9:16 am
I have been a figure skatiing fan for many years and Michelle
Kwan has always been my favorite. When Tara Lipinski won, through my eyes, I thought she looked like a wind up doll who could jump butshe couldn’t come close to Michelle’s precision and grace on the ice. I was shocked when Sarah Hughes won. Nice girl but again in my opinion, no grace.
NOT graceful. As a music teacher, I know that you can get someone to play all the right notes but
but not have the heart so the notes become like tinkling brass.
Michelle didn’t win the gold but SHE SHOULD HAVE. She was by far the best and I hardly watch anymore because there’s been nobody like her since.
November 8th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
I totally agree with you Marlene!! No one can match Michelle and Figure Skating just isn’t the same without her!
December 6th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
I really wish Michelle Kwan would change her mind!! I rewatched the 2002 Olympics and Sarah was greatbut it was a one time life time performance. Sarah delivered. Michelle has achieved more than any skater ever has. EXCEPT the GOLD!!!
Michelle if you ever read this, please come back. I know you are probably mentally and emotionally beat down from prior attempts. You and only You can do this!! Michelle come back do WHAT know other figure skater can do but you!! Its only a matter of changing your mind!! making a different decision. You fell down in 02, GET BACK UP in 2010!!!!! you need to see the video made on Youtube forin the hopes of inspiring you to come back it beautiful! Only you Michelle, only you!!!
January 16th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
you can’t michelle you rock!
January 17th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
I agree with Marlene. Tara Lapinski and Sarah Hughes cannot and will never hold a candle to Michell’s ARTISTRY, GRACE, AND CLASS on the ice!!! In my opinion, the artistic side of skating is really what makes FIGURE SKATING. Granted, technical jumps, spins, are good too; however, a mark of a great skater is one who has the full package: TECHNICAL AND ARTISTIC IMPRESSION, and in my estimation, MICHELLE KWAN is the EPITOME of that. Michelle, although you didnt win the gold, (which in my opinion, you should have, you ARE GOLD!!!!!!!!!
Although I will miss from seeing you in Amateur competition, I wish you nothing but the best in your academic career and in life!!!!!!
January 17th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
i can say without a doubt that Michelle Kwan has earned a place among the ELITE and GREATEST FEMALE FIGURE SKATERS of all time!!!! She has nothing else to prove.
January 17th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Michelle is clearly my favorite over the years also. On another site, I mentioned how she got me through a tough time in my life…that is along with the Lord and a lot of prayer. She talked about “Listening to the Music”. I had to listen to my own kind of music that I was missing in my own life. My strong faith and Michelle’s comment made it possible for me to weather a lot at that time.
January 22nd, 2010 at 2:26 pm
My eyes still get teary when I think back to the “Fields of Gold”
post competition performance Kwan gave in 2002. Her skating is
unmatched — she is Golden.
January 22nd, 2010 at 5:55 pm
I have loved & admired Michelle since I first saw her in 1993. Like so many others, I feel that she was deprived of a gold medal by one shot hot shots. Your talent, grace & mastery do not come easily. You are a roll model for young girls & your mark will go down in history. Selfishly, I hope that you do return to the ice as a participant in one of the wonderful ice shows. Good luck & many bkessings.
January 24th, 2010 at 12:50 am
I have absolutely loved watching Michelle Kwan since the early 90s,
and do feel that she’s been cheated of a gold medal. I also don’t
like that sports such as gymnastics and figure skating are much more
technical, and putting the artistic side to the side. I have yet to see
ANYONE spiral as well as Michelle can.
At the same time, I am also glad that Michelle is wanting to do things
for herself, and to move on with her life. Sadly, many athletes
“wear out” for various reasons by the time they’re in their early 30s,
and so I think it’s a great idea that she is pursuing other interests,
and making a new life for herself. I do hope that she continues to
skate, but if she were to skate in the next Olympics, I’d want her to
do it because she WANTS to, not because of outside pressure.
January 25th, 2010 at 11:24 pm
Oh wow, I LOVE MK so very much but I am HEARTBROKEN. I was hoping she compete and give the Gold Metal one last shot! Not only is figure skating not going to be the same witout her, the Winter Olympics in general will not be the same. DAMMIT there is always something that prevents her from finally being and Olympic champion once and for all. I remember being 8 years old and watching her compete in Nagano, Japan and win the Silver Medal. But of course as a MK fan, I have to respect her decision… She’ll always be #1 in my, and many others’, eyes!
February 14th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
By far, with none even close to her, Michelle Kwan had more grace and beauty on the ice than anyone I have ever seen and I am over 60 and been watching figure skating since I was a kid. When she was on the ice, she became one with the ice and it was breathtaking. She should have won the gold and in my opinion she did.
February 15th, 2010 at 4:06 am
Say what you will, but Tara Lapinski layed down a near flawless performance where Michelle, though pretty darn good had that one falter. Maybe I’m just sympathetic to the underdog—because no one thought Tara would be a contender. Michelle was always in the limelight and treated like royalty (I think she enjoyed being a celebrity) whereas Tara walked right into Michelle’s kingdom and took the gold and never looked back.
February 16th, 2010 at 12:12 am
I wuz really hoping 2 C Michelle skate this yr. Howeva, I am so happy that she has decided 2 mov on. Like many of the people who hav previously submitted posts here, I believe that she is the best. She has beauty, grace, talent, free spirit, precision & most important of all…charisma. Wen I watched her skate, I nu that she luved being there w/little if any fear. She’s an Olympic platimum medalist as far as I’m concerned.
February 23rd, 2010 at 3:25 pm
My wife and I have a cherished autographed photo of Michelle on our wall.
It’s hard to look at the photo while these Olympics are underway, because
Ladies Figure Skating is not the same without her and will never be again.
I concur with the comments above that she was absolutely cheated out of the
Gold in Nagano. I was in Japan at the time, and even the Japanese who
watched it agreed.
Adding to the insult, during the height of Michelle’s career, Figure Skating
changed the scoring system, and, in my opinion, diminished the value of the
artistic and style elements. It’s become a jumpers sport.
What major sport in history actually changed the scoring system so abruptly?
Only the most studied of fans can grasp what’s happening now! I’m sure everyone remembers
watching when Michelle got all “6.0″‘s! You’ll never see that again.
Now you will watch lots of jumps, try to ascertain the artistic elements and then
get an aggregate score from the judges which is incomprehensible.
This sport will never be the same…it’s losing fans because of it.
I hope we see Michelle sometime soon on at Stars on Ice or someplace…
Don’t leave us forever!