I really enjoy the sport of figure skating; doing it and watching it. Michelle Kwan is one of my favorite skaters, and it will be fun to see how she does this year at the World Figure Skating Championships. This is an article about the recent U.S. Figure Skating Championships:
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FIGURE SKATING: Ninth U.S. Title for Michelle Kwan...at the 2005 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships By: Lindsay DeWall Portland, Ore. (Jan. 15, 2005) - The night belonged to Michelle Kwan, as has the final night of the U.S. Championships for the last seven years. But newcomer Kimmie Meissner took her share of the spotlight, and both skaters made history. Kwan's history-making moment came when she won the ladies title at the 2005 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships - her ninth U.S. title, which ties the record for U.S. titles held by Maribel Vinson since 1937...When Kwan was 15, in 1996, she won her first U.S. title..."I have a lot of work to do before Worlds," Kwan said. "I'll celebrate tonight then it's back to work tomorrow."...(Michelle) Kwan and (Sasha) Cohen have been named to the 2005 U.S. World Team, as has (Jenny) Kirk who finished fourth...The 2005 World Championships will be held in Moscow in March. |
My wife is a huge Michelle Kwan fan, and the World Championships seem to favor her well. The curse for her is the Winter Olympics. She has never won gold there, and she may have her last shot next year. I don't really watch figure skating that much, only during the big events like the World Championship, Olympics and US Nationals. I really like Sasha Cohen, but she needs to mature a bit before she is ready to compete against the best skaters in the world.
Michelle Kwan had one of her worse showings at the recent World Championships in Moscow, where she placed 4th. Russian phenom Irina Slutskaya nabbed the gold, American Sasha Cohen got her second straight silver and Italian Carolina Kostner got the bronze. This makes you wonder whether Michelle will continue skating or retire. Many have said she is holding on long enough to earn an Olympic Gold, which has eluded her for so long.