Tonya Harding at the 1993 U.S. National Championships

[CaptCrunch]

Kielmann had a big hissy fit about her placement after the SP. She went to the German press and openly complained about finishing 6th and behind Kerrigan. She thought she should have been top 5 and skated in the last group for the LP.

BTW I agreed with Kerrigan being ahead of Kielmann in the SP. Kielmann was like a moose on skates. She had no line, no extension, no finesse to her skating. Kerrigan had a very good SP that year, she had good skating skills, was musical, and was well packaged. Much more so than Kielmann ever was.

I can't remember what happened to Lu Chen in the SP but she had a bad one and was 12th after the SP. Maybe she fell on her 3lt combo? Can't remember.

[neptune]

Kielmann had a big hissy fit about her placement after the SP. She went to the German press...

At first when I read this, I thought it said: "She went to the German police..."

She thought she should have been top 5 and skated in the last group for the LP.

There were only 5 in the last group?

Kerrigan had a very good SP that year, she had good skating skills, was musical, and was well packaged.

I'm glad that Lisa Kerrigan's performance went over so well. Oh, wait a minute--you're talking Nancy Kerrigan? I typically don't think of her skating as musical, but I'm glad her SP was so strong that year.

I can't remember what happened to Lu Chen in the SP but she had a bad one and was 12th after the SP. Maybe she fell on her 3lt combo? Can't remember.

Not too shabby for her very first Worlds, though.

[judgejudy27]

But why would Kielmann be placed below Nancy Kerrigan, who wasn't very well known at that point? Incidentally, I think '91 Worlds was the last time that Tonya finished ahead of Nancy in competition.

Since Kiellmann just wasnt ever that good. She had difficult jump content but her jumps were technically weak and poor quality, and her overall skating quality was poor. There is a reasons she never won a World medal even being one of the early women to have a full set of triples, even getting handily beaten for the World bronze in 94 by a teenage teammate who was still immature on ice and couldnt do anything harder than a triple loop (I dont count an always two footed triple lutz). It is amazing how weak the German women became after Witt and Grossman's career flaming out. Kiellmann, Neske, and Lang as their top trio.

Yeah, at that point in her career, she could've just sat on the ice and colored it with crayons, and her scores probably wouldn't have been much different.

True. I think once they got more familiar with her Chen scared TPTB though as she was already so good and could already skate everyone in the World on occasion at just 15 (eg- the LP of the 92 Olympics). I dont think they were ready for a Chinese skater as up and coming dominant skater though. That is why a much inferior skater like Baiul was coronated in that role instead after the retirements and changing of the gaurd. I honestly dont think the plan of TPTB I dont think the plan of TPTB was ever for Chen to ever even win a Worlds, and if Bobek fallen twice in her LP at the 95 Worlds it never would have happened. I think she deserves alot of credit for Shen & Zhou's success as she helped pave the way as the first Chinese to be that successful. There was an underlying Asian countries bias in skating at the time. Not so much totally against them, but that they werent North America or the traditional European powers from Russia, Austria, Germany, France, Norway, Britian, and some others was all.

[Quintuple]

FWIW, Shen/Zhao did not compete at 91 worlds. Their first worlds was 94.

I was talking about '93 NHK, which was the results link I quoted.

Who was the competitor that went into porn?

Lance Travis

[casken]

Lance Travis

If I recall it was rather too.

[judgejudy27]

Wow Lance Travis did porn? I had never heard that before now. I liked him and Steigler and was dissapointed when they split.

[briancoogaert]

It is amazing how weak the German women became after Witt and Grossman's career flaming out. Kiellmann, Neske, and Lang as their top trio.

LOL. Don't forget that Neske and Kiellmann were on the European podium between 1989 and 1993, which is not bad.

[casken]

Wow Lance Travis did porn? I had never heard that before now.

Well, it was just nudie shots.

[judgejudy27]

LOL. Don't forget that Neske and Kiellmann were on the European podium between 1989 and 1993, which is not bad.

True but in an era where 8 of the top 10 finishers at the 92 Olympics were from outside Europe.

[neptune]

It is amazing how weak the German women became after Witt and Grossman's career flaming out. Kiellmann, Neske, and Lang as their top trio.

Dagmar Lurz could probably have come out of retirement and still beat them. And ever since Szewczenko retired, unless my memory fails me, Germany hasn't really had any ladies' skaters of note.

I dont think they were ready for a Chinese skater as up and coming dominant skater though.

I agree.

That is why a much inferior skater like Baiul was coronated in that role instead after the retirements and changing of the gaurd. I honestly dont think the plan of TPTB I dont think the plan of TPTB was ever for Chen to ever even win a Worlds, and if Bobek fallen twice in her LP at the 95 Worlds it never would have happened.

It seems that Baiul came along at the perfect time, and Chen at a very inopportune one. If Chen had been from the U.S., she probably would have medaled in Albertville, with no figures to hold her back.

[Seerek]

Kielmann had a big hissy fit about her placement after the SP. She went to the German press and openly complained about finishing 6th and behind Kerrigan. She thought she should have been top 5 and skated in the last group for the LP.

This might have made a slight difference in regards to the overall medals if Nancy had been in the second to last group. As it turned out, Marina fell behind both Josee Chouinard and Joanne Conway after the long program so her free skate must have not been that great.

Sadly, Marina Kielmann seems to have made more than one hissy fit in her career (when Katarina Witt came back in 1994 being another).

[neptune]

Sadly, Marina Kielmann seems to have made more than one hissy fit in her career (when Katarina Witt came back in 1994 being another).

I wonder--is either episode available on YouTube?

[Morry Stillwell]

This might have made a slight difference in regards to the overall medals if Nancy had been in the second to last group. As it turned out, Marina fell behind both Josee Chouinard and Joanne Conway after the long program so her free skate must have not been that great.

Sadly, Marina Kielmann seems to have made more than one hissy fit in her career (when Katarina Witt came back in 1994 being another).

It seems this thread should be renamed "Anyone but Harding"

[Yazmeen]

Remember too that Nancy was considered one of the greatest technial (short) program skaters at that time. She didn't screw up shorts very often; her problems came in the long. She also had one of the best, pure, triple lutz jumps in the 'bidness.

[chipso1]

IMO, Tonya definitely should have been on the '93 world team. She was lightyears better than both Ervin and Kwiatkowski at that point in time, even on a bad day.

Her jump layout for her 1993 US Nats free skate was:

3S
2A-2T
2Lz
3T (fall)
3F
3L (fall out)
2A

So basically two clean triples and two 2Axels. Still, that year's program was the best she ever had, IMO. The slow section actually worked with the rest of the program (thank God she got rid of that jazzy, saxophone crap that she had in '92). Dick also mentioned that Tonya was battling a cold at that year's Nationals, and that could definitely be a reason why she struggled with stamina. The Loop was her money jump, and how often did she fall on a 3T? Not very.

It's not like Kerrigan was a whole lot better in her free skate.

3F (slight struggle on landing)
3Lz (fall)
walleys into 3S
3T-2T
2L
2S
2A

Three triples and one 2Axel. The complexity of her program gave her the win, but I think the results between her and Tonya should have been much closer.

I wish Kristi would have competed there (and through '94) and smoked them all. Her absence was definitely noticeable.