Rank womens Olympic medal winning LPs since 1992

[smarts1]

1. Yuna Kim 2010 Gold-As much as I don't like her skating and as much as I don't like her Gershwin program (her Lark Ascending program was 2000x better), it was the best program she ever did and with her huge toe jumps, this ranks first.

2. Tara Lipinski 1998 Gold-There was just so much excitement and joy coming out of her! Technique issues aside, I would have put this over Yuna Kim, who I felt like was more reserved and cautious, but of course her small jumps, odd jump technique, and her slightly immaturity puts her below Yuna Kim. But really, this program was excellent jump-wise and was filled with so much charisma.

3. Sarah Hughes 2002 Gold-Very gutsy of her to attempt two real triple-triple combinations, great spins, and flexibility. This program really saves those Olympics, IMO. But of course, the bad toe technique and underrotated triple loops put this program behind the other two. But all in all, an inspiring program for the ages.

4. Shizuka Arakawa 2006 Gold-Really a big triumph for her. Exquisite program, really, which is weird because she doesn't really emote, and I'm not a fan of people who just goes through the movements, but she's someone who just captures your attention.

5. Michelle Kwan 1998 Silver-Great technical program and choreography. Unfortunately, she didn't let all of her emotion come out until the program ended and it became her downfall. She was reserved, and it made all the difference.

6. Nancy Kerrigan 1994 Silver-Only silver?!?!? What were the judges thinking? Best program she ever did for the important event in her career and yet she still ended up with the silver medal. Great jumps and very solid program. We could have done with the ending cheese-fest, but I loved the beginning and middle.

7. Lu Chen 1998 Olympics Bronze--I loved her skating. She was always so passionate and captivating. This program really emboddied that spirit and was a personal triumph for her. You have to feel for her. She always knew how to peek at the right time in the season and this showed it. Unfortunately, she was out of her technical prime by '98, but she did what she could and her artistry was really wonderful. I wonder if we'll see another Lu Chen ever again...

--Big Gap---

8. Lu Chen 1994 Olympics Bronze--This was a fluke. She deserved silver over Oksana. She landed six beautiful triples with some interesting choerography. I just wish she would have picked a new program to do for 94 because this program really did not highlight her artistic quality, which she could have easily brought out by 94, and the result could have been different had that happened and had China learned to politik for her.

9. Mao Asada 2010 Silver Medal-Bleh program with two botched jumps, but the two triple axels in the beginning are a triumph in ladies skating.

10. Midori Ito 1992 Olympics Silver--I honestly don't know how to rank anyone past Mao, but MIdori did a gorgeous triple axel very late in her program. But she did have mistakes in her program. Even more so, I thought this program was very flat, but it was better than the music arrangment earlier in the season.

11. Irina Slutskaya 2002 Olympics Silver--She did do some good jumping, but overall, very sloppy program, weird choreography, and very bleh overall. Really overmarked on the first mark, but thank goodness she lost the gold on the second mark because this program would have been really second rate in terms of Olympic gold winning performances.

12. Kristi Yamaguchi 1992 Olympics Gold--Great triple-triple in the beginning. Midori really pushed her technically. However, I always thought she was the most boring skaters alive and wanted to break the TV whenever the commentators said she was very artistic. Nothing stand out in her skating; she does everything okay.

13. Joannie Rochette 2010 Olympics Silver--I don't understand why everyone likes this program because I think the music cuts suck and the choreography is a bit forced. Her Aranjuez program, however, was brilliant. Stepped out of two jumps and underrotated the second lutz and triple sal from the sequence. It's a good thing Mirriam is an overly arbitrary technical caller and that her mom died because she should not have escaped downgrades. But of course, this was an emotional program for her mother, and EVEN SCOTT WAS CRYING.

14. Sasha Cohen 2006 Silver--Splat fest! But exquisite artistry, perfect positions.

15. Michelle Kwan 2002 Bronze--Bleh program. The fall just ruined it further.

16. Irina Slutskaya 2006 Bronze--She really seemed out of it that night. Ended up making an uncharacteristic error on the loop. No fire at all.

17. Nancy Kerrigan 1992 Bronze--Ehh. Made a bunch of mistakes that are preventing her from climbing up this list. However, holding that spiral at the end was magical.

18. Cowsana Baiul 1994 Not-Gold Medalist--Horrible program in all aspects Technically and artistically. How could a no real combination, cutsey, dumb pose teenager with lots of two-footed jumps win the gold medal? Especially over Lu Chen and Nancy? What a joke! And what were the judges thinking? All of us would have been happy with Nancy winning the gold (or at least most of us), but the judges decided to be idiots and made the worst decision ever. But of course, what do you expect when 5 out of 9 judges were related politically?

[judgejudy27]

Baiul's performance didn't survive 24 hours very well.

Janet Swan Hill used to use the phrase "ensorceled" to describe what Baiul did to the judges. As I recall, the ISU later issued a video that used her skate as an example of what not to do. (I think that had some guy counting how many seconds she stayed in one place.)

I remember watching her skate as a kid, first time I saw her was at Europeans in 1993. I remember being baffled at all the adoration for her. Her short program I actually somewhat liked. However I recall looking at her long program and thinking there is almost all stroking between each element, she amazingly had no footwork sequence, she is taking so long to set up her jumps (longer than Bonaly it felt like), she has a few spins most which were short and fugly, a short and weak spiral sequence, and she has all sections she stands in one place and wiggles her butt and waves her arms some. I just didnt get it. I was wondering why cant I even remotedly understand what makes this skater everyone is raving about so good. I remember thinking many aspects of her program paled in comparision to Marina Kiellmann of all people. :yikes:

[DarrellH]

If I remember correctly, Oksana was being marketed to the public and the judges as the "poor orphan girl with no one to turn to". Emotions were played to the utmost, even among U.S. journalists.

[vassily]

Oksana was just about to burst onto the scenes, and many people thought she had a bright future with her talent. She was more marketable than the other ladies skater because of this.

[Triple Butz]

I know this is dangerously off topic, but I never understood how anyone could call this performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtKGPN5VY8o cautious or tentative.

Even Scott and Sandra were gushing from beginning to end about how "confident and relaxed" she was and that she had such a "beautiful look" on the ice. During most of the free skate, Kwan is smiling, looking up and out into the audience and presenting to the crowd. I find it really hard to believe that ALL nine judges would give the FIRST skater in the last group a 5.9 for presentation if they weren't captivated by the program. For the record, I would have given her the same presentation score as Lipinski, and only have Lipinski ahead on the tech mark by a tenth.

[Fallcolor]

Oops! My bad, I knew that! . . . it's my 1st day back to work from the 4th holiday, so my mind is obviously dragging. :lol: Thanks for catching my error! :)
i often make the same mistake....it seems that at worlds/olympics, a 7-clean triple LP is a thing of the past. :D

[smarts1]

I know this is dangerously off topic, but I never understood how anyone could call this performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtKGPN5VY8o cautious or tentative.

Even Scott and Sandra were gushing from beginning to end about how "confident and relaxed" she was and that she had such a "beautiful look" on the ice. During most of the free skate, Kwan is smiling, looking up and out into the audience and presenting to the crowd. I find it really hard to believe that ALL nine judges would give the FIRST skater in the last group a 5.9 for presentation if they weren't captivated by the program. For the record, I would have given her the same presentation score as Lipinski, and only have Lipinski ahead on the tech mark by a tenth.

I mean it was flawlessly technically, but she made it seem like she was making sure the jumps were going to happen. It just lacked spark, fire, and excitement like Lipinski had. The excitement and exuberance just seemed to rush out of Lipinski, while Kwan held it in more.

[museksk8r]

I know this is dangerously off topic, but I never understood how anyone could call this performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtKGPN5VY8o cautious or tentative.

Even Scott and Sandra were gushing from beginning to end about how "confident and relaxed" she was and that she had such a "beautiful look" on the ice. During most of the free skate, Kwan is smiling, looking up and out into the audience and presenting to the crowd. I find it really hard to believe that ALL nine judges would give the FIRST skater in the last group a 5.9 for presentation if they weren't captivated by the program. For the record, I would have given her the same presentation score as Lipinski, and only have Lipinski ahead on the tech mark by a tenth.

I think the judges were carried away with the quantity of Lipinski's technical jump content and failed to judge the quality of it appropriately. Ugly 2Axel technique, very bad flutz, jumps landed at a standstill with no speed and no flow, tiny jumps. UR 2nd 3loop in the combo. Just bleh, IMO! :shuffle: I think they were judging Kwan too much based on the superior standard she had set at the Nationals. Yes, her Olympic LP was not the skate of her life like she had at the Nationals, but I still to this day think it was better than what Lipinski laid down.

[Fallcolor]

IMO Kwan lost the gold that night to the skate order. Lipinski most certainly had more spark and excitement, but her skating after Kwan, with an electrifying skate that included 3+3 combos made for more comparisons. If Kwan had skated last that night, I don't think Scott/Sandra would have compared the two as they did. it was a matter of the draw order, I think. Her getting 5.9's even skating first, is a big shock. If she had skated last surely she would have gotten 6.0's, enough to win gold over Lipinski.

[Fallcolor]

1. Yu Na Kim- flawless skate, worked the COP well, difficult entrances into jumps. I actually didn’t mind the choreography…it was sincere and she sold it well  Solid jumps and wonderful expression, but to be picky, the only thing that is always a pet peeve, that could be better, was the aesthetics- turning out of the feet more, pointed toes entering toe-jumps, perhaps better positions during step sequences, more stretch here etc… but as a total package I would put her on top.

2. Shizuka Arakawa- if the competition was ice dance or pairs I would put her on top because she was the most polished skater of all listed here, but jumps are equally important. Her only doing a 2loop instead of a triple puts her at a close second in this list. She reminds me of Tatiana Totmianana when it comes to facial expression and emoting, but who cares- she used her body to emote, and NEVER hit a bad position. Aesthetics were perfect. Loved the lilting knees, effortless glide, had more speed coverage than any other lady that night. Choreography was actually quite complex too—full of transitions, moves in the field, no pausing, wow!

3. Tara Lipinski – A gutsy skate! May have been a tad immature, but loved Bezic’s choreography. A 3r+3r and the 3+3 seq at the second half of the program puts her third on this list.

4. Michelle Kwan 1998- 7 triples, bit shaky on the flip, tech. content not as hard as Tara’s, but she was a more polished skater.

5. Mao Asada- this is weird considering she is my fav. skater..but as awful as the music cuts were, she sold this vampire program like a madwoman, and did a pretty great job! :respec: Not her fault Tarasova screwed her over, nor is it also for that comedy of a costume :run: Her SP to Waltz masquerade. despite the heavy music and theatrics, was actually a LOT better than the LP. At least it had interesting choreography. I put her in the top 5 for being the most refined skater at the Olympics, in terms of the aesthetics, finishing her moves well, and great positioning. As well, the two axels, gorgeous spiral sequence, and the extremely difficult footwork are highlights for me.

6. Midori Ito- thought she could have won the LP in Albertville, either way, and a memorable performance for me.

7. Joannie Rochette- Joannie is prob the most well-rounded lady skater, in terms of triples. She did more types of triple jumps than Yuna or Mao, despite not having a 3+3, and making a few slips. Despite the music cuts not really suiting my taste, her strong skating skills, connection to the music, and maturity stands out for me.

8. Kristi Yamaguchi- close to Midori, but didn’t think her Malaguena for an OGM was anything unique.

9. Nancy Kerrigan 1994- never liked her skating, not to mention this gawd-awful program, but did a glorious 3+3 combo, and the only mistake was a 2flip. She even landed two 3lutzes! Her technical content was brilliant, for sure.

10. Lu Chen 1994- loved Lulu’s program this year, very unique, she was not as polished as Kerrigan, but technically she was fabulous. Presentation-wise had a bit to work on though.

11. Sasha Cohen 2006- love her to death but those 3 mistakes were really distracting even if the rest of her program was gorgeous. Also, Arakawa was the only one that matched/surpassed her level of refinement, so even if Sasha had landed her jumps perfectly, she may not even have won gold anyways.

12. Sarah Hughes 2002- her spins were actually the most complex of the night, if I recall correctly? Despite the obvious underrotations, this girl stayed on her feet while landing 7-attempted-triples, nice spirals and as mentioned difficult spins. Skating skills were not there yet, not a fan of the choreo.

13. Irina Slutskaya 2002- Cautious, sloppy, terrible aesthetics. Change of foot Biellmann is something I’ll remember from her though.

14. Michelle Kwan 2002- program-wise, it was ok. Much preferred 2001 SOTBS to this. Even with the fall on the flip, the first 2 jumps were VERY tight. 3loop was squeaky, 3t+2t was two-footed. Otherwise, probably the most refined skater of the night.

15. Lu Chen 1998- loved Lulu’s comeback, but she underrotated a BUNCH of triple jumps. Wow. Technically weak, but program-wise, one of my favourites from her. Sandra Bezic did an excellent job. :respec:

16. Irina Slutskaya 2006- basics were not there that night. Couldn’t stand the weird music cuts, especially the techno nearing the end. Sloppy sloppy sloppy. Fell on a loop and doubled a flip, but even so the rest of her jumps were messily landed and barely held on. The sleeves on her costume IMO made her look even more sloppy. Lack of stretch in spirals, but compensated with great extension in spins.

17. Oksana Baiul 1994- She never skated like a cold fish unlike somebody that night, was free and not stiff, but can’t believe there was even a split decision as who would win. Most technical flaws an Olympic champion has ever made, NO combo jumps, underrotated a 2a+2t combo at the end…and didn’t think she was even that refined. Her telegraphed entrances were distracting, program was unbalanced. Even if she deserved higher artistic marks than Kerrigan, the huge gap in TES should have erased the question of a possible tie. :shuffle:

18. Nancy Kerrigan 1992- of all the performances, this one is the most flat program I have ever seen. Several technical mistakes, choreography was definitely better than ’94, but still…most forgettable program since 92, for me.

[minneapolis]

1. Yuna- 2010
2. Kristi- 1992
3. Tara- 1998
4. Shizuka-2006
5. Sarah- 2002
6. Oksana- 1994

[Triple Butz]

9. Nancy Kerrigan 1994- never liked her skating, not to mention this gawd-awful program, but did a glorious 3+3 combo, and the only mistake was a 2flip. She even landed two 3lutzes! Her technical content was brilliant, for sure.



Only one lutz for Nancy in the 94 free program, but it was in the second half of the program which was impressive.

[Triple Butz]

I think the judges were carried away with the quantity of Lipinski's technical jump content and failed to judge the quality of it appropriately. Ugly 2Axel technique, very bad flutz, jumps landed at a standstill with no speed and no flow, tiny jumps. UR 2nd 3loop in the combo. Just bleh, IMO! :shuffle: I think they were judging Kwan too much based on the superior standard she had set at the Nationals. Yes, her Olympic LP was not the skate of her life like she had at the Nationals, but I still to this day think it was better than what Lipinski laid down.

I agree Tara had some really bad habits, but I do think she was able to exit her jumps with lots of speed coming out in most cases (see the opening axel and flip). I also don't think the 2nd loop was more than 1/4 short and probably would have been credited today. Her 3toe~3sal, while a bit tight, was also cleanly rotated.

[judgejudy27]

Tara was a much better skater in 98 than 97. She really rose to the top in 1997 almost by default but by 98 she had improved alot.

[chipso1]

1. Kim 2010 gold
2. Kwan 1998 silver
3. Lipinski 1998 gold
4. Asada 2010 silver
5. Ito 1992 silver
6. Arakawa 2006 gold
7. Kerrigan 1994 silver
8. Yamaguchi 1992 gold
9. Rochette 2010 bronze
10. Hughes 2002 gold
11. Cohen 2006 silver
12. Kwan 2002 bronze
13. Chen 1998 bronze
14. Slutskaya 2002 silver
15. Chen 1994 bronze
16. Slutskaya 2006 bronze
17. Baiul 1994 gold
18. Kerrigan 1992 bronze