Figure Skating
MICHELLE KWAN
Born: July 7, 1980 – Torrance, California Height: 5'2" Level: Senior Home Club: Los Angeles FSC Hometown: Los Angeles, California Training Town: Artesia, California Coach: Rafael Arutunian Choreographer: Tatiana Tarasova COMPETITIVE HISTORY 2005 Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating Challenge - 1st 2005 World Championships - 4th 2005 State Farm U.S. Championships - 1st 2004 Marshalls World Cup - 2nd 2004 Campbell's Classic - 1st 2004 Marshalls World Figure Skating Challenge - 3rd 2004 World Figure Skating Championships - 3rd 2004 State Farm U.S. Championships - 1st 2003 International Figue Skating Challenge - 1st 2003 Campbell's Classic - 2nd 2003 ABC Sports International Challenge - 1st 2003 World Championships - 1st 2003 State Farm U.S. Championships - 1st 2002 Smart Ones Skate America - 1st 2002 Campbell's Classic - 1st 2002 Hershey's Kisses Challenge (team) - 2nd 2002 World Championships - 2nd 2002 Olympic Winter Games - 3rd 2002 State Farm U.S. Championships - 1st 2002 Grand Prix Final - 2nd 2001 Hershey's Kisses Challenge (team) - 1st 2001 Skate Canada - 3rd 2001 Smart Ones Skate America - 1st
2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1995 1995
Masters of Figure Skating - 2nd Goodwill Games - 2nd World Championships - 1st Grand Prix Final - 2nd State Farm U.S. Championships - 1st Canadian Open - 2nd Skate Canada - 2nd Skate America - 1st Masters of Figure Skating - 1st International Figure Skating Challenge (team) - 2nd World Championships - 1st State Farm U.S. Championships - 1st Grand Prix Final - 2nd Japan Open - 1st Hershey's Kisses USA vs. the World (team) - 1st Skate Canada - 1st Skate America - 1st Masters of Figure Skating - 1st Keri Lotion Figure Skating Classic (team) - 2nd Hershey's Kisses Challenge (team) - 2nd World Championships - 2nd State Farm U.S. Championships - 1st Japan Open - 1st World Professional Championships - 1st Masters of Figure Skating - 1st U.S. Pro Classic - 1st Grand Slam of Figure Skating - 1st Keri Lotion Classic - 1st Goodwill Games - 1st Ultimate Four - 1st World Championships - 1st Olympic Winter Games - 2nd State Farm U.S. Championships - 1st Skate Canada - 1st Skate America - 1st Nice 'n Easy Classic (team) - 2nd Hershey's Kisses Challenge (team) - 1st World Championships - 2nd Champions Series Final - 2nd State Farm U.S. Championships - 2nd Japan Open - 1st Ultimate Four - 1st U.S. Postal Service Challenge (team) - 1st Trophée Lalique - 1st Skate America - 1st The Continents Cup - 1st Hershey's Kisses Challenge (team) - 1st World Championships - 1st Champions Series Final - 1st Centennial on Ice - 3rd State Farm U.S. Championships - 1st U.S. Postal Service Challenge (team) - 1st Nations Cup - 1st
1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1992 1992 1992
Skate Canada - 1st Skate America - 1st Best of the Best - 2nd World Team Challenge - 4th Hershey's Kisses Challenge - 1st World Championships - 4th State Farm U.S. Championships - 2nd Thrifty Car Rental International Challenge - 3rd Trophy de France - 3rd Skate America - 2nd U.S. Outdoor Challenge - 1st Goodwill Games - 2nd Hershey's Kisses Pro-Am Championships - 2nd World Championships - 8th State Farm U.S. Championships - 2nd World Junior Championships - 1st Skate America - 7th U.S. Olympic Festival - 1st Gardena Spring Trophy - 1st State Farm U.S. Championships - 6th Pacific Coast Sectional - 1st Southwest Pacific Regional - 1st State Farm U.S. Championships, Junior - 9th Pacific Coast Sectional, Junior - 3rd Southwest Pacific Regional, Junior - 1st
2004-05 SEASON NOTES SP Music: "Adagio" from Spartacus; FS Music: "Bolero" by Ravel. Kwan chose not to compete in this year's Grand Prix Series. 2003-04 SEASON NOTES Skating to music from "Tosca" by Giacomo Puccini, Kwan finished second at the Campbell's Classic in New York City to open the season ... She switched coaches in December and now trains with Rafael Arutunian ... She won the International Figure Skating Challenge Dec. 5 ... She won her seventh consecutive and eighth overall U.S. title at the 2004 State Farm U.S. Championships, earning seven 6.0 marks in the free skate for presentation ... She is using last year's "The Feeling Begins" by Peter Gabriel for the short program ... At the World Championships won her ninth medal in nine consecutive years ... In her free skate earned six perfect 6.0 marks, the most of any woman in the competition, giving her a career total of 12 at the World Championships. 2002-03 SEASON NOTES Kwan won her fifth World title in Washington, D.C., in March ... She won her qualifying group, then swept through the short program and free skate... Overall, she earned three perfect 6.0s for presentation in the event... She is now tied with Carol Heiss for most World titles by a U.S. skater and trails only Sonja Henie overall, who collected 10 World titles in her career... Kwan won her seventh U.S. title and sixth straight in Dallas in January... Her seven U.S. titles are second only to Maribel Vinson Owen (9)... Her six consecutive U.S. titles tie Vinson (1928-33) and Gretchen Merrill (1943-48) for the longest winning streak in U.S. ladies history... Her 10 consecutive U.S. medals is a record shared only by Theresa Weld Blanchard (1914-24)... Kwan, a last minute addition to Smart Ones Skate America, claimed her seventh career and fourth straight title in Spokane ... Kwan debuted her new short program to the music "The Feeling Begins" by Peter Gabriel ... It was the second straight title for Kwan this season after winning the Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla., Oct. 5 ... Earned three 6.0s at the
2003 World Championships and one 6.0 in the free skate at the U.S. Championships, giving her 37 perfect 6.0s in major competitions (28 at the U.S. Championships), the most of any skater in history ... She did not compete at the ISU Grand Prix Final (although she did qualify in the sixth spot with 12 points) ... Kwan began training with Scott Williams in the summer of 2002. 2001-02 SEASON NOTES With her seventh World medal in nine appearances, Kwan moved ahead of Dick Button, Carol Heiss, Hayes Jenkins and Todd Eldredge for the most World medals by a U.S. skater .., Kwan won the bronze medal at the Olympic Winter Games in February ... Kwan claimed her sixth career and fifth straight U.S. ladies title at the 2002 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles, Calif., Jan. 12 ... Kwan is now tied with Theresa Weld Blanchard (1914 and 1920-24) and Gretchen Merrill (1943-48) with six titles each... Kwan now trails only Maribel Vinson Owen who claimed nine titles (1928-33 and 193537) ... Kwan received two perfect 6.0 marks for her free skate, adding to her U.S. Championships record for most 6.0s, which now stands at 27 ... Kwan claimed her third straight silver medal and fifth career medal at the 2002 ISU Grand Prix Final in Kitchener, Canada, Dec. 15 ... Kwan won her third straight and sixth career Skate America title in Colorado Springs in October — the most titles by anybody in the history of the event ... On Oct. 23, 2001 Kwan split with longtime coach Frank Carroll. Kwan and Carroll had been together since 1992. NOTES The most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, Michelle Kwan has won an unprecedented 42 championships, including five World Championships (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003), seven consecutive and eight overall U.S. Championship titles, (1996, 1998-2004) and two Olympic medals (silver-1998, bronze-2002) ... In the nearly 100-year history of ladies figure skating, Michelle's five World titles and nine overall world medals (five gold, three silver, 1 bronze) in nine consecutive years (1996-2004) are all marks that have been bettered only by the immortal Sonja Henie of Norway (10 titles/11 medals/11 consecutive years) ... She is the only woman in figure skating history to reclaim the World title three times (1998, 2000, 2003) ... Kwan's seven consecutive U.S. Championship titles (1998-2004) and 11 consecutive U.S. Championship medals (1994-2004) are both U.S. records ... her eight career U.S. titles are second only to the legendary Maribel Vinson, who won 9 titles in the 1920's-30's; and her mark of 11 U.S. medals (8 gold, 3 silver) ties her with Vinson for the most in U.S. skating history ... In her career she has received 50 perfect 6.0 marks in major competitions, the most of any U.S. skater in history, and any singles skater ever ... She has been awarded at least one 6.0 in each of the last four U.S. Championships, a U.S. record ... Her winning long and short performances at the 1998 U.S. Championships, where she received 15 perfect 6.0 marks (out of a possible 18) for artistry over the course of the event, is the most by any skater in the history of U.S. Figure Skating ... Prior to the 2001-02 season, Kwan split from longtime coach Frank Carroll ... Kwan and Carroll had been together since 1992 ... In December 2003 she began working with Rafael Arutunian. The youngest of three children, Kwan began skating at the age of 5 after watching her older brother play hockey ... She won her first figure skating competition at age 7 ... She always wears a Chinese good luck charm around her neck that was given to her by her grandmother ... Kwan's autobiography, "Michelle Kwan: Heart of a Champion," was published in October 1997 and is now in its sixth printing ... Kwan serves as a national spokesperson for the Children's Miracle Network "Champions Across America" program ... She is a seven-time recipient of SKATING magazine's Readers' Choice Award for figure skater of the year ... In 2003, the trophy that is given out for the Readers' Choice Award was renamed the "Michelle Kwan Trophy" ... Kwan signed an exclusive deal with Electronic Arts (EA Sports) to create the first interactive figure skating video game (Michelle Kwan Figure Skating) for the personal computer that debuted in the fall of 1999 ... Has claimed a record 12 USOC Sportswoman of the Month honors ... In May 2000, Kwan was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People magazine ... Her older sister Karen finished fifth at the 1996 U.S. Figure Skating Championships ... Kwan is now an aunt to Olivia Oppegard, her sister Karen's first child with husband Peter Oppegard, a three-time U.S. champion in pairs.
AWARDS 1997 Dial Award (top scholar-athlete in the U.S.) 1996 James E. Sullivan Award - Finalist 1998 Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year USOC Athlete of the Year - Figure Skating ('03, '01, '00, '99, '98, '96) SKATING magazine Readers' Choice Award (2003, 2002, 2001, '99, '98, '96, '94) USOC SportsWoman of the Month Award (Jan. '04; Mar. '03; Jan. '03; Jan. '02; March '01; April '00; Aug. '98; April '98; Jan. '98; Oct. '97; Nov. '96; Mar. '96; Jan.'96) 2001 Sullivan Award Winner 2002, 2003 Kids' Choice Award for America's favorite female athlete 2002 Teen Choice Award as America's favorite female athlete 2002 Cosmo Girl! of the Year 2003 USOC SportsWoman of the Year Citizenship Through Sports Alliance (CTS)