Quote:
Originally posted by AGDee
Not yet. Thankfully, the women don't start until Feb. 23rd or something like that. She is in New York and it will probably be a couple days before she can get out.
I was probably too harsh on Michelle in my first post. She has dominated the sport for a long time and is an excellent skater, but hasn't pulled off the Gold at the Olympics. I did always find Kristi Yamaguchi more appealing as a skater. Michelle had quite a career and will be known as one of the best, Gold or not. She did handle that press conference very maturely. I feel like I've watched her grow up ... oh wait, because I have!
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I also love Kristy Yamaguchi, but I would not say that she "ranks" higher than Michelle Kwan in terms of career stats just because she won Olympic Gold. Kristy fell during her long program and got the gold anyway because she had very little competition. Michelle's performance at Nagano would have been a gold medal in any other Olympics. Michelle dominated at a time when there was a lot more competition with the rise of the Eastern bloc in female skating and the amazing skaters the US has produced. It seems to me that she is the exception to the basic rule of figure skating that if you don't win the gold your career is incomplete. I am glad she stepped down rather than performed poorly, closing her career with a bad skate. Let's face it, they are going to give this gold to Irina Slutskaya even though she is a horrible skater. I am not sure who told her that running her hands wildly through her hair = artistic impression.