Great Skaters who never made it to the Olympics

[coppertop1]

So, there's a thread about some of the most talented skaters who never made it to Worlds. How about some of the best skaters who never made it to the Olympics?

Some that come to mind:
Lubov Ilyushechkina/Dylan Moscovitch: Canada's #2 pairs team heading into the 2017-18 season, they had a disappointing Nationals (and a disappointing season overall) and finished fourth at the 2018 Canadians.
Angela Nikidinov
Alyssa Czisny
Lucindah Ruh

 

[MR-FAN]

Yukari Nakano

 

[coppertop1]

Yukari Nakano

I'm not one to say "She was robbed of going to the Olympics" but yeah. Nakano should have gone to Torino.

 

[aliona22]

Morgan Matthews

 

[jamesy]

Czisny She’s sadly part of a very small group of US ladies champions to never make an Olympic team.

 

[MsZem]

Artur Gachinski's senior career was brief and its high points did not coincide with the Olympic seasons, but it seems odd for a World and European medalist not to have made it to the Olympics. Sergei Voronov has been around forever, has had some nice achievements, but no luck with Olympic assignments.

I don't think they're necessarily great skaters, but Stanick Jeannette, Yannick Ponsero and Alban Preaubert all had a fair bit of international success yet never went to the Olympics.

 

[ldec]

Olga Markova

ETA: Liza Tuktamysheva as well. It seems even odder for a World/European champion to have never gotten there. Sadly, I don’t really see it happening soon with the current state of Ladies skating in Russia

 

[Jeschke]

Yukari Nakano

Yukari Nakano

It's a big shame Nakano was so close to make it to the games two times and did not make it.
I can recall the selection process of 2010 (and was happy as a Miki fan and honestly think she desereved that spot this year despite her pewter nationals finish) but 2006 I can't?
Can someone refresh my memory if there was any criteria and if so, if it was followed. Onda for sure had nationals momentum on her side, Nakano the best season outing with GPF. So what made Miki go (to this big drama )?
@rosewood

 

[rosewood]

It's a big shame Nakano was so close to make the times two times and did not make it.
I can recall the selection process of 2010 (and was happy as a Miki fan and honestly think she desereved that spot this year despite her pewter nationals finish) but 2006 I can't?
Can someone refresh my memory if there was any criteria and if so, if it was followed. Onda for sure had nationals momentum on her side, Nakano the best season outing with GPF. So what made Miki go (to this big drama )?
@rosewood

At the time the fed had TWO season's body of work selection criteria for 2006 Olys. It was counted as points (total points of 70% from the pre-Olys season and 100% from the Olys season). IIRC Miki was selected mainly depending on the high score she got in the pre-Olys season. (pre-Olys season points: Fumie 700, Miki 665, Mie 564, Shizuka 560, and Yukari was ranked lower than them.)

 

[Jeschke]

Thanks @rosewood for this!

 

[Ananas Astra]

Quite a few Russians over the last couple of years:
- Andrei Griazev (2004 Junior World champ, Russian champ of 2007, had a meltdown at Russian Nats in 2006 and was out of the game and retired even before the 2010 Olympics)
- Andrei Lutai (secured 2 spots for Russia for the 2010 Olympics, but then he discovered his passion for American cars and Long Island Ice Teas)
- Elena Radionova
- Anna Pogorilaya
- Maxim Kovtun
- Konstantin Menshov
- Polina Korobeinikova (looked so promising in her first senior season)
- Nodari Maisuradze
- Ilia Tkachenko
- Lina Fedorova/Maxim Miroshkin (I would've loved to see those side-by-side Biellmanns at the Olympics)
- Ivan Bariev/Righini (switched countries only to lose his Olympic spot to Rizzo)
- Stanislav Timchenko (bronze at Junior Worlds in 2002, medalled at Russian Nats and made the Russian team for Euros and Worlds in 2003, never to be seen again)
- Daria Timoshenko (1999 Junior World champ for Russia, switched to Azerbaijan, never made it to the Olympics)
- Ekaterina Rubleva/Ivan Shefer

 

[Debbie S]

Tuk is the first skater that comes to mind. Also Max Aaron. And Angela Nikodinov.

 

[coppertop1]

Olga Markova.

 

[caseyedwards]

Ross Miner
Richard Dornbush
Josh Farris

Artur Gachinski's senior career was brief and its high points did not coincide with the Olympic seasons, but it seems odd for a World and European medalist not to have made it to the Olympics. Sergei Voronov has been around forever, has had some nice achievements, but no luck with Olympic assignments.

I don't think they're necessarily great skaters, but Stanick Jeannette, Yannick Ponsero and Alban Preaubert all had a fair bit of international success yet never went to the Olympics.

Exactly!!! Ponsero!!!

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Miss. Angela. Nikodinov.

For your consideration:

Alissa Czisny

 

[Spiralgraph]

In the time when ice dance was not competed at the Olympics, many great teams were prevented from participating. The first American team I thought of were Judy Schwomeyer and Jim Sladky. They were World medal winners in their time.
And back when American ice dancers weren't achieving the great success that we've enjoyed recently, I always considered Renee Roca/Gorsha Sur to be accomplished enough to be top five at the Olympics if they had competed.

 

[blue_idealist]

Daisuke Murakami (no Worlds, either)
Takahito Mura
Kimberly Navarro/Brent Bommentre
Joshi Helgesson

 

[Finnice]

Ilia Tkachenko feels so sad. Such edges.
Russian and Japanese teams are so hard to make.

 

[Vagabond]

Technical niceties of the question presented be damned! Tai and Randy wuzrobbed!

 

[coppertop1]

Ilia Tkachenko feels so sad. Such edges.
Russian and Japanese teams are so hard to make.

Those countries are like the Hunger Games, so cut throat.

Technical niceties of the question presented be damned! Tai and Randy wuzrobbed!

Having to withdraw from the Olympics due to injury and being gold medal favourites when the Olympics are in your own country.

 

[Eeyora1]

First person who traditionally come to mind is Angela Nikodinov. How could one person suffer from so much bad luck? So heartbreaking! She always will have a special place in my heart especially since I saw her live at 2001 Nationals.

However in recent years with the depth of the Russian ladies so many great names come to mind.

My list is...
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
Elena Radionava
Anna Pogorilaya
Alissa Czisny
Yukari Nakano
Yukina Ota
Ludmilla Nelidina
Rudy Galindo
Max Aaron
Dylan and Lubov as a team
Ryan Bradley

Maybe not greats but names like Tonia Kwiakowski, Jenny Kirk, Naomi Nari Nam And Deanna Stellato also come to mind.

I hope Stepanova and Bukin as well as Wakaba Higuchi get the chance to compete.

Time can be so cruel.....

 

[coppertop1]

First person who traditionally come to mind is Angela Nikodinov. How could one person suffer from so much bad luck? So heartbreaking! She always will have a special place in my heart especially since I saw her live at 2001 Nationals.

However in recent years with the depth of the Russian ladies so many great names come to mind.

My list is...
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
Elena Radionava
Anna Pogorilaya
Alissa Czisny
Yukari Nakano
Yukina Ota
Ludmilla Nelidina
Rudy Galindo
Max Aaron
Dylan and Lubov as a team
Ryan Bradley

Maybe not greats but names like Tonia Kwiakowski, Jenny Kirk, Naomi Nari Nam And Deanna Stellato also come to mind.

I hope Stepanova and Bukin as well as Wakaba Higuchi get the chance to compete.

Time can be so cruel.....

Timing really is everything in this sport. With many of the ladies mentioned, most of them would have made the Olympic Team if they skated for a different country.
Poor Nikidniv, losing her coach to cancer in 2001 and suffering a career-ending injury in 2005.

 

[Marco]

At the time the fed had TWO season's body of work selection criteria for 2006 Olys. It was counted as points (total points of 70% from the pre-Olys season and 100% from the Olys season). IIRC Miki was selected mainly depending on the high score she got in the pre-Olys season. (pre-Olys season points: Fumie 700, Miki 665, Mie 564, Shizuka 560, and Yukari was ranked lower than them.)

Between Fumie who won 4CCs the season before, Shizuka who won Worlds 2 seasons before and Miki who won Nationals the season before and was also medaling and making GPF, Yukari did not have an obvious edge. I remember (although my memory isn't the best...) by Nationals Shizuka and Miki already had enough points as long as they would not bomb, and it came down to whether Fumie would win Nationals and beat Yukari by sufficient placements.

 

[coppertop1]

These breakdowns definitely help explain why Ando was chosen to go to Torino

 

[Lanie]

Josh Farris and Angela

 

[Amy L]

Josh Farris and Angela

I liked Angela, but I loved Josh and am still about everything that happened to him. I just looked him up on Wikipedia and I didn't remember that he was planning on skating to Pines of Rome for his last LP that never was. I always thought it'd make good skating music and I'm sure his program would have been gorgeous.

 

[coppertop1]

I looked him up. So sad that his career ended because of a concussion. Its always sad when a skater's career is cut short due to injury.

 

[all_empty]

Had they not staggered the Winter and Summer Olympics, Rudy Galindo would've probably gone in '96 (Michelle Kwan may have been a double gold medalist).

But I really feel bad for Mark Mitchell.

I don't want to jinx them but I'm afraid Wakaba Higuchi, Mai Mihara, and Marin Honda will not get a chance, either.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Poor Nikidniv, losing her coach to cancer in 2001 and suffering a career-ending injury in 2005.

Losing her mom in the 05 car crash (On the way to the arena at Nationals in Portland!!!!) was tragic enough. The cab did flip. But from what I heard Nikodinov sustained a wrist injury but ultimately would step away from the sport....

UGGGGGGGGG

 

[Marco]

Nikodinov never even won Nationals title or any World medals. She was never that consistently strong internationally so I wasn't so bummed that she didn't make it in the Kwan-Lipinski-Bobek era or the Kwan-Cohen-Hughes era. Come 2006, even with Kwan's injury and Kirk's retirement, there was still Meissner, Czisny on top of Cohen and Hughes 2.0. She didn't even go to Worlds again since 2001 and IMO didn't really have a chance. 2002 was her only legitimate shot.

In contrast, Czisny was up and coming in 2006, won SC and silver in SA to make GPF that season as the only US ladies skater, and was the 2009 National Champ. To bitterly mess up both 2006 and 2010 Nationals to miss the Olympics in both seasons was bad enough. She found her groove one season too late (2011), and the subsequent injuries were devastating.