Most underwhelming one and done ladies world silver medalist since '91?

[tennellicious]

Congratulations to Julia SOLDATOVA for winning the most underwhelming bronze medalist poll!

I'm procrastinating at work, so let's try the same poll for one-and-done Worlds ladies SILVER medalists. Same criteria as last time:

• only since 1991, the post-figures era. I can't get into any more freaky Holly Cooke timewarps this time
• only skaters who have won one silver medal at Worlds and/or Olympics are eligible.
• Two Worlds/Olympics medals = not eligible for this poll
• vote for most underwhelming silver winning performance, or their overall legacy as a skater or whatever criteria you use, just discuss it. the point is to enjoy some old school skating during the offseason

Disclaimer: This is just for fun. Obviously all these skaters are incredibly talented and a Worlds silver medal is quite the accomplishment! But real talk, not all silver medalists are created equal. No disrespect meant to any ladies on this list.

 

[tony]

Tursynbaeva. By a long way.

 

[tennellicious]

Tonya Harding (USA) - 1991 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Free Skate

Munich, GERMANY - 1991 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Free Skate - Tonya Harding of the United States landed the triple Axel again here, but she...

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Elena Sokolova RUS - 2003 World Figure Skating Championships LP

QA : 2nd, SP : 2nd, LP : 2nd, silver medalMarch 24th-30th, Washington, D.C., USA

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2012 WC Alena Leonova FS ESP

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Julia LIPNITSKAIA RUS Free Skate World Championships 2014

Julia LIPNITSKAIA RUS Free Skate World Championships 2014

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Ashley WAGNER - 2016 World Championships - LP (BBC)

Ashley WAGNER - 2016 World Championships - LP (BBC)

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Wakaba Higuchi Skyfall 2018 WC B.ESP

put your hand in my hand

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Elizabet Tursynbaeva (Kazakhstan)-4 Salchow! World Figure Skating Championships Japan-2019 Bravo!

Спортсменка из Казахстана Элизабет Турсынбаева выполнила Первый в истории Четверной Сальхов среди женщин на Чемпионате Мира - 2019 по фигурному катанию в Япо...

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[overedge]

Second best in the world, even if you think they're underwhelming.

 

[Evgeniafan]

Tursynbaeva. By a long way.

She was so over scored in the short program.

 

[tony]

Second best in the world, even if you think they're underwhelming.

I feel like the disclaimer was written specifically for you.

 

[tony]

I also want to double post and add that I don't get the votes for Leonova. At all!

She salvaged Russian figure skating on her own before the Tutberidze teens started taking over. The National Champion and the other top skaters in Russia were failing to qualify for free skates in ISU Championships or finishing somewhere way down the list in 2007 and 2008. Leonova got into the top 10 at 2009 Worlds, earned 2 spots for Vancouver, and then the dominance started to take over.

I also recall that some (if not more than some) people felt she perhaps should've won bronze at the 2011 Worlds. Of course, like 99% of Russian skaters not named Tuktamysheva, she was taken over by the next wave and never saw a Worlds again after 2013, but she still was performing well on the Grand Prix up to the end of her career and the short program she showcased at her last NHK was just stunning.

Tursynbaeva, on the other hand, well.. next to no choreography in her skating when she was with Orser and Wilson, no good results to show from any of it (no Grand Prix medals, barely inside the top 10 at Worlds once), and then she plowed through her programs to get her World medal.

 

[tennellicious]

Second best in the world, even if you think they're underwhelming.

 

[tennellicious]

rewatching these vids, the biggest shock for me was how poorly Lipnitskaya's skating has aged in 9 years. I admit I liked that Schindler's List program back in the day, but wow, her basic skating and overall technique was extremely weak.

Sokolova was boring, cheated her jumps, and the stroking was weird and novice level, but I'd still rather watch her over TURSYNBAEVA any day.

 

[danafan]

I voted for Lipnitskaya as I never enjoyed her skating.

I know it's all in fun but every skater on this list is compelling for one reason or another.

Harding for obvious reasons, but seriously after upsetting Yamaguchi to win the US title that year after finally landing the triple axel, she manages the triple axel again at worlds en route to helping the US sweep.

Sokolova amazing longevity and after not even making a world team the previous quad, she makes it again and has the skates of her life to get silver.

Leonova - very popular skater (well maybe among her ubers LOL). She was always one of my favourites and I loved her perkiness and kiss and cry reactions. And she helped Russia get the second spot back and helped them get and keep 3 spots a few times. And amazing longevity on the grand prix circuit.

Liptinskaya - well as I said not my favourite skater but after dazzling at the Olympics team event and then not being able to handle the pressure and media expectation in in the individual, she got some redemption with this as her her only world medal. And I admire her for speaking openly about her struggle with an eating disorder.

Wagner - well again amazing longevity and she delivered on home soil to get that medal and I didn't find her performance underwhelming.

Higuchi - well she's one of my favourites, she skated a brilliant free skate to get that medal after the disappointment of not making the Olympic team - but to be fair she's still competing and might not end up a one and done world medallist - time will tell.

Tursynbaeva - never my favourite skater, and I think she was overscored in the short program the year she got her medal, but she did land a quad (the first at a senior ISU championships right?) so I think she deserves credit for that.

 

[Private Citizen]

Tursynbaeva had a quad and a clean program, no?

My vote is for Ashley Wagner. God knows how much politicking it took to get her that medal, but it was outrageous. So many underrotations and her flutz weren't called, and her PCS reflected home country advantage. Plus she had errors. It seemed like the US hadn't had a woman on the podium for too many years, and the judges were doing whatever it took to get one there -- including Gold placing first in the short program with her "lip" being completely ignored.

I said at the time that Wagner's bronze at Nationals was more reflective of her skating than her silver at Worlds, and I predicted correctly that she'd be struggling to make the Olympic team in 2018. I'm still scratching my head over how she won silver in 2016.

 

[overedge]

Seems to me the downer is dissing one of the two best skaters in the world that particular year, but whatever. You do you.

 

[tennellicious]

Seems to me the downer is dissing one of the two best skaters in the world that particular year, but whatever. You do you.

omg you've made it abundantly clear you find this poll morally reprehensible. we get it. can you please leave it alone now? It's summertime...lighten up.

 

[tennellicious]

My vote is for Ashley Wagner. God knows how much politicking it took to get her that medal, but it was outrageous. So many underrotations and her flutz weren't called, and her PCS reflected home country advantage. Plus she had errors. It seemed like the US hadn't had a woman on the podium for too many years, and the judges were doing whatever it took to get one there -- including Gold placing first in the short program with her "lip" being completely ignored.

Clearly I like Ashley more than you do, but who else would you put on the podium? I guess you can make an argument for Pogorilaya to win silver (and thus miss out on this honor of making this poll), but expression was lacking.

4th (Gracie) - generous SP score, mini-meltdown in the long
5th (Miyahara) - if you're going to critique Ashley's jumps, Miyahara's are even worse
6th (Radionova) - Titanic was rapidly sinking by this point...
7th (Asada) - far from her best
8th (Hongo) - big yikes

I think it would be difficult to justify placing any of those skaters on the podium over Ashley, but I'd love to see you give it a go. That's what discussion boards are for, right?

 

[tennellicious]

Higuchi - well she's one of my favourites, she skated a brilliant free skate to get that medal after the disappointment of not making the Olympic team - but to be fair she's still competing and might not end up a one and done world medallist - time will tell.

I thought about excluding her since she's still actively competing, but I would be shocked if she gets even one vote, so I don't feel too bad about including her prematurely!

 

[Rukia]

It's me I voted for Leonova because I barely remember her idk what I was doing in 2012

 

[barbk]

Tursy and Wagner.

I would totally advocate Ashley Wagner becoming an executive at USFS, but I found her skating bland and boring. Tursynbaeva was even worse on the choreo front.

Harding was many things, but boring was not any of them.

 

[briancoogaert]

I've never liked Lypnitskaya : poor skating skills and jumping technique. And too bad she couldn't developp her skating because she had amazing abilities.

 

[Private Citizen]

Re: Tonya Harding, I think hers is the most unfortunate world silver medal. She landed a triple axel plus the world's most beautiful triple lutz, flip (from an Ina Bauer no less), and loop, only to blow a triple toe and salchow. It was the right result, but what a shame.

Her jumps in 1991 remain the best I've ever seen. Her triple loop in particular had hang time. She claims to have landed a quad loop in practice. While her claims are often (usually) dubious, I can believe this one. Her spins in 1991 were pretty spectacular, too. I think I'd have given her the short program over Yamaguchi, and maybe it would've been closer had she not skated so early. The elements are nearly unassailable, with only the most minor of quibbles on the back half of the combo spin and the spiral sequence.

 

[coppertop1]

Tursynbaeva's silver feels like it can be summed up in two words: Eteri Bonus. I liked her but she wasn't a top three caliber skater. She wasn't even in the top ten at Worlds or Olympic in 2018.

I also want to double post and add that I don't get the votes for Leonova. At all!

She salvaged Russian figure skating on her own before the Tutberidze teens started taking over. The National Champion and the other top skaters in Russia were failing to qualify for free skates in ISU Championships or finishing somewhere way down the list in 2007 and 2008. Leonova got into the top 10 at 2009 Worlds, earned 2 spots for Vancouver, and then the dominance started to take over.

I also recall that some (if not more than some) people felt she perhaps should've won bronze at the 2011 Worlds. Of course, like 99% of Russian skaters not named Tuktamysheva, she was taken over by the next wave and never saw a Worlds again after 2013, but she still was performing well on the Grand Prix up to the end of her career and the short program she showcased at her last NHK was just stunning.

Tursynbaeva, on the other hand, well.. next to no choreography in her skating when she was with Orser and Wilson, no good results to show from any of it (no Grand Prix medals, barely inside the top 10 at Worlds once), and then she plowed through her programs to get her World medal.

I think people tend to overlook her because they Eteri domination came shortly after. I still enjoyed her skating more than the Eteri girls.

 

[overedge]

omg you've made it abundantly clear you find this poll morally reprehensible. we get it. can you please leave it alone now? It's summertime...lighten up.

If you want to lighten up, why not do a poll about the best or most underrated skater in a category, instead of dissing on skaters who accomplished something most skaters will never even get close to doing.

 

[tony]

If you want to lighten up, why not do a poll about the best or most underrated skater in a category, instead of dissing on skaters who accomplished something most skaters will never even get close to doing.

You could just choose not to read the thread though, no? There are plenty of top-level skaters that FSU doesn’t ‘get’ or like and I’m sure I’ve read your ranting about not liking T/M, for example, who are also World medalists. I’m sure I could find more for just about all posters here- whether it’s final results, programs, music, or whatever. So why you choose to keep reiterating the same thing when it’s far from a first at FSU is beyond me.

 

[mtnskater]

at so many picking apart Ashley and Tursey . My vote is for Sokolova who I found slow, sluggish and sorely lacking in skating skills. Typical Russian skating from that era.

Ashley could perform the hell out of any program. I find her presentation was always a standout among her peers. For me her silver was much deserved. And Tursey landed a quad salchow, so props for that, even if it may have been aided by Team Tutberidze

 

[Karen-W]

Okay, I want to know who the 2 people who voted for Harding out of this entire group are! There is no way that Tonya Harding's silver at '91 Worlds is the most underwhelming of the options we've got. Tursy is the only acceptable choice.

 

[On My Own]

I was happy for Tursynbaeva. Not only was she the first to get a quad ratified in senior competition, she was also a Kazakh skater to be winning a 4cc medal and world medal that season. It was nice to see someone carrying Denis' legacy after what had happened.

Would have gone for Wagner, Sokolova, and Leonova, in that order.

 

[VGThuy]

Okay, I want to know who the 2 people who voted for Harding out of this entire group are! There is no way that Tonya Harding's silver at '91 Worlds is the most underwhelming of the options we've got. Tursy is the only acceptable choice.

LaVona Harding (only losers win silver) and Jeff Gillooly (obvious).

 

[guignardfabbri]

Elizabet Tursynbaeva. When a poll like this comes up it is one of the only times I even remember her at all.

 

[Karen-W]

Now, there's a 3rd vote for Tonya. Ghost of Morry Stillwell?

 

[tennellicious]

Elizabet Tursynbaeva. When a poll like this comes up it is one of the only times I even remember her at all.

same. she never even managed a Grand Prix medal. I wonder how many worlds medalists never medalled on the Grand Prix? can't be many.

 

[olympic]

If I consider 'underwhelming', I think Sokolova is the most obvious choice. I recall watching her 3-3 at '03 Worlds and thinking 'that was it?'

I would have to choose Tursy as #2, but I don't think she was necessarily underwhelming, and I don't think any of the other women on the list were underwhelming either