Who was the greatest ladies singles figure skater never to become Olympic champion?

[skatesindreams]

I respect Janet Lynn a lot but in what way was she a total package?

As a technician and artist, she could hardly be surpassed.
Her "total package" earned the admiration and respect of her fellow competitors in her era; and has rarely been equaled since.

Most of them could only dream of skating like this:

Janet Lynn - 1971 Worlds EX Afternoon of a Faun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn0VZyztldo

[Plusdinfo]

I completely agree with this paragraph. I respect Kwan but rarely found her to be outstanding. Though I haven't watched any of her programs recently, what sticks out in my mind is her "UNGH! I'M CONTORTING MY FACE LIKE I'M REALLY PASSIONATE! CAN YOU SEE THAT? LOOK AT MY FACE AND LOOK AT HOW INTO IT I AM!" expression. Does anyone else get the impression that some admirers are so caught up in that that they forget about the rest of her body/her actual skating? Not hating, just wondering. Anyway, I reckon there are tons of great female skaters who don't have Olympic gold, so it's not shameful to be remembered but not in possession of that particular medal.

Easy. Janet Lynn, closely followed by Denise Biellmann and Midori Ito. The reason? All three of these skaters revolutionised women's figure skating in their own unique ways - Lynn with her artistry, Biellmann with her innovation and athleticism, and Ito with her incredible jumping. They were pioneers. In the case of Lynn and Ito especially, their impact was so great that they forced a sea change in the way the sport was judged.

Michelle Kwan, as unquestionably talented as she was, didn't really bring anything new or unique to the table.

[Vash01]

I completely agree with this paragraph. I respect Kwan but rarely found her to be outstanding. Though I haven't watched any of her programs recently, what sticks out in my mind is her "UNGH! I'M CONTORTING MY FACE LIKE I'M REALLY PASSIONATE! CAN YOU SEE THAT? LOOK AT MY FACE AND LOOK AT HOW INTO IT I AM!" expression. Does anyone else get the impression that some admirers are so caught up in that that they forget about the rest of her body/her actual skating? Not hating, just wondering. Anyway, I reckon there are tons of great female skaters who don't have Olympic gold, so it's not shameful to be remembered but not in possession of that particular medal.

If you saw Michelle skate live, you would realize that she was not just contorting her face. Her energy emotions reached the top row in the arena. This cannot be faked. Her basic skating was so fluid that it looked very easy. Her consistency in jumps and her nerves of steel were unparalleled in her era. The only reason she did not win the 1998 Oly was there was another young lady who also had nerves of steel and the ability to land 3-3 combinations which were rare those days.

What she brought to the sport was putting the high quality COE spiral, the gorgeous falling leafs, and the complete package in one program. I watched her skate Song of the Black Swan at the 2001 worlds in Calgary, and it was quite an experience.

[giselle23]

I respect Janet Lynn a lot but in what way was she a total package? Was she great at figures? I don't think so. She lost competitions because of weak figures. She skated great in SP & LP, but IIRC she fell multiple times in one of her SPs, then skated a great clean LP. I did not see her as athletic either. She was a great artistic skater, but that does not make her a total package.

I think Janet Lynn was as close to the total package as it comes. Her artistry was (and is) unsurpassed. She just floated over the ice and, from all accounts, mesmerized audiences. She became like a rock star in Japan after her long program at the 1972 Olympics. At the 1971 Worlds, when she didn't medal because of her low placement in figures, the French audience who had seen her long program started chanting her name during the medal ceremony! She had to come out for a curtain call. Technically, she was also very good--at the very top for her era. Her double axel stacks up that of with any current ladies skater. She could also do triples (see, for example, her triple toe in this program--in 1969! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8mN7...VXmoQ&index=12). But she was already winning free skates without triples so there was really no reason for her to include them in her programs.

ETA: Also, check out her combo her at about 1:35: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0HbR...VXmoQ&index=15

By the way, Janet is before my time as a skating fan. I discovered her on You Tube.

[Sasha'sSpins]

I think Janet Lynn was as close to the total package as it comes. Her artistry was (and is) unsurpassed. She just floated over the ice and, from all accounts, mesmerized audiences. She became like a rock star in Japan after her long program at the 1972 Olympics. At the 1971 Worlds, when she didn't medal because of her low placement in figures, the French audience who had seen her long program started chanting her name during the medal ceremony! She had to come out for a curtain call. Technically, she was also very good--at the very top for her era. Her double axel stacks up that of with any current ladies skater. She could also do triples (see, for example, her triple toe in this program--in 1969! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8mN7...VXmoQ&index=12). But she was already winning free skates without triples so there was really no reason for her to include them in her programs.

ETA: Also, check out her combo her at about 1:35: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0HbR...VXmoQ&index=15

By the way, Janet is before my time as a skating fan. I discovered her on You Tube.

ITA about Janet-when it comes to the free skate few could match her. I think perhaps those who insist that figures should be included in the 'total package' as it was a part of Lynn's competition in her days then yes I suppose she was lacking as was Ito, and even Yamaguchi (who I think lost a world bronze to Holly Cook due to her figures).

[judgejudy27]

Janet skated exactly two SP's her entire career at 1973 Nationals and Worlds. At Nationals she was beaten into 2nd place in the SP by baby Dorothy Hamill and of course we all know what happened in Bratislava where she was 12th in that portion. So I don't think she skated great in SP's.

Do you know how she skated her SP at Nationals. Did she make a mistake or was she just outskated by baby Hamill.

[bardtoob]

Cecelia Colledge, the female competitor that contributed the most to the CoP with the Layback Spin and Camel Spin.

[FigureSpins]

I voted for Janet Lynn. She wuzrobbed!

[smarts1]

Everyone (or almost everyone) is obviously going to say Michelle. Not to offend anyone, but I could have cared less about her skating. I really think Lu Chen should have been Olympics champ. She had almost everything--the jumps, the artistry, the speed.

[Mafke]

I voted for Janet Lynn. She wuzrobbed!

It should be noted, that that was never her opinion of what happened.

'wuz robbed' implies a better performance held back by judges in favor of a less worthy one (like Abt vs Yagudin in 2002 euros!!!! Abt was robbed )

The judges did everything they could for Lynn's free skating, but the system in place at the time simply didn't allow for her to finish any higher than she did (which is why the system itself was changed).

And her problem with figures was more a question of competitive nerves than inability or not training them well or enough.

[Moka-Ananas]

Irina Slutskaya for me

[giselle23]

I
And her problem with figures was more a question of competitive nerves than inability or not training them well or enough.

It's strange, isn't it, that she didn't have, or at least wasn't hindered by, competitive nerves in her free skating. I suspect that Janet was a bit lacking in figures compared to the other top ladies and her nerves were due to a lack of confidence in her ability and not a fear of competition, per se.

[skatesindreams]

She was up against the greatest "figure" skater ever, in Schuba.

For most of Janet's career, figures composed 60% of the score.
Trixi could build a lead that no one could challenge; even if they won the FS.

[Scintillation]

Its between Michelle and Midori for me. Both skaters leave me in awe, but for very different reasons--and I won't elaborate because I think everyone else has covered those reasons very well. I prefer Michelle's overall skating but I can never get over how effing AWESOME Midori's jumps were.
(But I will say even my dad, who has never cared for figure skating but was forced to come with us to the 2000 nationals in Cleveland, said that the way Michelle moved across the ice was unlike anyone else he'd seen--as if she was born to skate.)
I'm also a fan of Janet Lynn thanks to Youtube. I don't know enough to say whether she was a complete package competitive skater, but her basic skating is just gorgeous to watch. Dick Button used to say that moves Michelle did were "reminiscient of Janet Lynn"--thanks to youtube I can understand where he was coming from.

[Mafke]

It's strange, isn't it, that she didn't have, or at least wasn't hindered by, competitive nerves in her free skating. I suspect that Janet was a bit lacking in figures compared to the other top ladies and her nerves were due to a lack of confidence in her ability and not a fear of competition, per se.

But she was. She fell in Sapporo and she fell repeatedly in 1973 in her best ever shot at the world gold. She did have more confidence in her free skating but she had mental game problems there too (if there were only sports psychologists back then....).

She was off of the pace set by Schuba and Holmes in figures but she and Magnusson were close. She was even ahead of Magnusson in Sapporo for a while (IIRC she botched her last figure though). So she wasn't terrible at figures (as some have rewritten history) at some competition she even beat Schuba on one figure (though finishing behind for the whole competition of course).

[floskate]

But she was. She fell in Sapporo and she fell repeatedly in 1973 in her best ever shot at the world gold. She did have more confidence in her free skating but she had mental game problems there too (if there were only sports psychologists back then....).

She was off of the pace set by Schuba and Holmes in figures but she and Magnusson were close. She was even ahead of Magnusson in Sapporo for a while (IIRC she botched her last figure though). So she wasn't terrible at figures (as some have rewritten history) at some competition she even beat Schuba on one figure (though finishing behind for the whole competition of course).

I'd love to know where she beat Schuba in a figure. Did Trixie not turn up or something? For me her fall in Sapporo was a total fluke. She was skating with complete abandon there; not a hint of hesitation. In her autobiography Peace & Love, Janet says she got the line wrong coming out of the delayed axel which preceded her flying sit which she didn't have enough time to correct so went into the spin offline also. Her reaction to her fall speaks volumes IMO.

Bratislava in 1973, where she completely wiped out on her solo double axel and also her double axel double loop combo has never been fully explained. I can't remember where I read or heard it, (it could be manleywoman's interview with Janet's coach, Slavka Kohout), but I know that the windows were open in the arena and Janet's legs were freezing. I've also read that she had a hard time dealing with 'having' to do an element which the SP was and to a degree still is all about.

Whatever it was it did affect her. All the footage from ABC is neatly highlighted to show Janet rising from the ashes in the LP and gaining 6.0's for artistry while kissing Dick Button in the K&C. She landed her first double axel but opened up on her second, falling out of the landing after just two revolutions. Whatever the issue was it was gone by the exhibitions where she skated gloriously. I always wondered if it was her weight loss which threw teh double axel a little. If you watch her LP from 1973 Nationals in the yellow dress - admittedly not the most flattering - then footage from 1973, the physical difference is stratling. It looks as though she lost a LOT of weight between Nationals and Worlds.

Judgejudy I'm still trying to track down some info on her SP at 1973 Nationals.

[UGG]

I completely agree with this paragraph. I respect Kwan but rarely found her to be outstanding. Though I haven't watched any of her programs recently, what sticks out in my mind is her "UNGH! I'M CONTORTING MY FACE LIKE I'M REALLY PASSIONATE! CAN YOU SEE THAT? LOOK AT MY FACE AND LOOK AT HOW INTO IT I AM!" expression. Does anyone else get the impression that some admirers are so caught up in that that they forget about the rest of her body/her actual skating? Not hating, just wondering. Anyway, I reckon there are tons of great female skaters who don't have Olympic gold, so it's not shameful to be remembered but not in possession of that particular medal.

No I have never thought that. You should watch this by the way. She was 15!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iok96fRDFYA

[DaiKozOda]

Midori Ito and Irina Slutskaya.
I started to pay attention to ladies figure skating because of Midori. Her athleticism was amazing and exciting. I still watch the videos of her programs once in a while and I'm still impressed by her. Her LP from the 89 worlds is unforgettable.
In what concerns Irina, I still love watching her. A lot of people criticised her presentation but I just love it. Her LP from the 96 euros is awesome just like the SP she did at the 2000 euros (so beautiful and emotional, great jumps, wonderful spins).
Anyway, Mao shouldn't be mentioned here cause she still has a chance to become olympic champion in 2014.

[lilia&mofan]

No I have never thought that. You should watch this by the way. She was 15!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iok96fRDFYA

And she wasn't bad at 16 either:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8i-KY1nuHY

[Vash01]

And she wasn't bad at 16 either:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8i-KY1nuHY

and how about this one at age 16?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE0Blj2A0x4

Her Taj Mahal LP is one of my all time favorites in FS. I love the music too. She was so original those days! Lovely movement across the ice, carriage, jumps- she had it all, at age 16!