Best female skater of the 90s

[KimGOAT]

Who is the best lady skater of the 90s, my favorite ever decade of skating. I went with Yamaguchi since 1 Olympic Gold, 2 World golds, and 4 World Pros is better than 2 World Golds, 1 Olympic silver or 1 World Gold, 1 Olympic Gold, or 1 Olympic Silver, 1 World Pro, and the rest. I think she is far above the others.

[DimaToe]

... Why are Oksana, Nancy, and Vanessa all grouped as one choice?

[KimGOAT]

... Why are Oksana, Nancy, and Vanessa all grouped as one choice?

It was the poll option for the mutually crazy people. I didnt want them to feel left out.

[KimGOAT]

I would have voted for Ito since I think she is the best skater on the list thinking of whole career but Ito is a skater of the 80s, not the 90s.

[judgejudy27]

Either Ito or Kwan. Yamaguchi was solid, excellent, nice, and perfectly forgettable (atleast for me). Well as a pro she was more memorable, as an amateur she was by the book and collected points and won, often when the big jumpers fell apart. A female Lysacek.

[bardtoob]

Ito or Kwan. If Bauil or Kerrigan or Gusmeroli got to share a slot, Harding should have been an option.

[briancoogaert]

Either Ito or Kwan. Yamaguchi was solid, excellent, nice, and perfectly forgettable (atleast for me). Well as a pro she was more memorable, as an amateur she was by the book and collected points and won, often when the big jumpers fell apart. A female Lysacek.

Kristi had technical difficulties few ladies could do. So, she was technically one of the very best, and artistically better than the better jumpers. That's why she won. Not because she was a female Lysacek.

I can't vote. I'd say Kwan or Ito or Yamaguchi.

[judgejudy27]

Kristi had technical difficulties few ladies could do. So, she was technically one of the very best, and artistically better than the better jumpers. That's why she won. Not because she was a female Lysacek.

I can't vote. I'd say Kwan or Ito or Yamaguchi.

OK she is alot better than Lysacek, she just didnt do anything for me as an amateur. She was by the book, pleasant, excellent, but not every exciting or inspiring for me. Mind you if you go by accomplishments and nothing else she is by far the best on this list (talking just the 90s decade).

[FunnyBut]

I voted Kwan, but I could see going for Ito too.

Kristi has the OGM that eluded but Kwan and Ito. But much as I liked her as a person, Kristi never did much for me as an amateur . I think it was the tiny spinny jumps and overall small skating that bothered me. I do like her better than Tara, the other tiny spinny jumper OGM.

Why is Gusmeroli on this poll? I like her fine, but her accomplishments are dwarfed by the others. I'd be insulted if I were Bauil and Kerrigan sharing a poll option with her. Bauil will probably sue FSU, and Kerrigan probably thinks it's more corny than Mickey Mouse.

[lala]

Kwan,no doubt. But my favorite was Lu Chen.

[angelflies]

Kristi clearly. I dont know how anyone could vote otherwise. Kristi was hands down the best skater in the World from 91-95, and that is already most of the decade.

[Vash01]

Are we taking into account the pro career as well as eligible one?

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Kristi clearly. I dont know how anyone could vote otherwise. Kristi was hands down the best skater in the World from 91-95, and that is already most of the decade.

Didn't Ito and Yuka Sato beat her at two World Pros during that period?

[angelflies]

Didn't Ito and Yuka Sato beat her at two World Pros during that period?

Ito beat her at the Worlds Pros in December 95. So not part of the 95 season. That is why I said 95-96, since by 96 season there were some skating better than her maybe, Sato in pros, and Kwan in amateurs. However from 91-95 she was always by far the best skater. Ito did beat at the World Pros in December 93, but Kristi came back to crush her at the Challenge of Champions event where Ito was only 3rd behind a really old Denise Biellmann, and Kristi won all her other events that year so she was still the best.

[blue_idealist]

I said Kwan, even though it was really the late 90s/early 00s that she was dominant.

[briancoogaert]

Ito beat her at the Worlds Pros in December 95. So not part of the 95 season. That is why I said 95-96, since by 96 season there were some skating better than her maybe, Sato in pros, and Kwan in amateurs. However from 91-95 she was always by far the best skater. Ito did beat at the World Pros in December 93, but Kristi came back to crush her at the Challenge of Champions event where Ito was only 3rd behind a really old Denise Biellmann, and Kristi won all her other events that year so she was still the best.

Midori Ito won 1993 World Pro with her gorgeous Rose of Pain program, 3Axel included.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Dg3jlLS9W4

[Katarzyna]

Michelle Kwan is not my favourite and I'm no Kawaniac whatsoever, but my vote went hands down to her without even having to think twice.
It's just the consistent good skating over years, the big wins (except OG) and the overall skating package where she had no real weaknesses other girls on this poll had.

[wristflick]

Kristi since she dominated when the sport had the 2 best jumpers ever Ito and and Harding at their peaks. Kwan meanwhile lost 4 of 5 meetings with Tara Lipinski in her brief prime, and Tara was just a jumper like Harding and not as good of one as Ito or Harding.

[Andofanatic]

Kristi won 6 World titles (2 amateur, 4 pro) and the Olympics. Had she continued competing she would have won atleast 7 straight Worlds and Olympics- 91 Worlds, 92 Olympics, 92 Worlds, 93 Worlds, 94 Olympics, 94 Worlds, 95 Worlds. She would have even been contending for gold with Kwan and Chen in 96, and Lipsinki and Kwan in 97 and 98. I cant believe anyone would think it isnt her.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Regarding 1996-on, Yamaguchi would have fell or doubled on a Salchow. How many consistent 7 triple routines could she have done? One can say she probably would have won all those titles (1993 Worlds-1995 Worlds), but we really don't know if she would have. She could have lost. We're just assuming she would have won because we think she would have been perfect or clean every time (although for 1993 Worlds-1994 Worlds, she may not have needed to be clean).

As for comparing Yamaguchi's rivalry with Ito and Harding and Kwan's rivalry with Tara, Yamaguchi may not have beaten Ito or Harding if they had Tara's or Michelle's consistency. IMO, Michelle Kwan's 1998 Olympic performance blows Yamaguchi's 1992 Olympic performances away, as did her 1996 Worlds one, and even her 1997 Worlds LP. It's not as if Kwan could have gotten away with doubling the Salchow and falling out of her loop in Nagano the way Yamaguchi was able to in Albertville. Plus, since we're using pro competitions, Kwan did beat Yamaguchi the one time they competed against each other in the Ultimate 4.