Who is your favorite all time singles skater and why?

For ladies, Midori Ito. Her incredible speed, her amazing jumps, and her energy made her very compelling to watch. For the men, I might go with Daisuke Takahashi even though I know there are better and more successful male solo skaters out there. But I loved his charisma and showmanship.
 
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For me, to date, it would have to be Patrick Chan. His unparalleled (IMO) skating skills are what I live for. His speed, flow, edge quality, ability to generate speed through the use of turns and knee bend vs. cross cuts, is just, well, glorious.

Honourable mention to Mao. (I had to decide between her and Patrick).
 
It is hard to talk about a single favorite, but the two that rise to the top of my list are Midori and Mao. Both have enchanting grace on the ice. Both the marvelous 3A. Midori with that incredible ballon. Mao with those gorgeous skating skills and endless variety of programs is one of the greatest female skating artists ever (only Kostner is comparable IMO). Her character is also deeply endearing - her struggles, her determination, her joy and her desire to give back right now through her wonderful Mao Thanks Tour in little rinks all across Japan. What pushes Mao to the top of my list is her incredible performance at Sochi. Not the FS alone. You have to see the terrible failure of the SP and her public humiliation at the hands of a Japanese sports official... and then how she rose like a phoenix to give one of the greatest Olympic skates ever.
 
It depends on which aspect of skating we're talking about. I've always been a bigger fan of mens skating than ladies, so my favourites are men.

For actual 'skating', it's Patrick Chan without a doubt. That man's basic skating is just sublime, in a class of it's absolute own. I would rather watch him just do basic stroking exercises around the ice for 5 minutes than watch a perfectly skated quad-filled program by almost anyone else. I was fortunate enough to see him at Skate Canada a few years ago, and was just in complete awe (even with mistakes, his brilliance was clear)

I've always loved the energy and performance of Javier Fernandez. I was lucky enough to see him live at Europeans a few years ago, and he just reaches out to the crowd. I remember him performing his Barber of Seville program, and during the final step sequence, even from rows back, you could see him flirting with the audience. Not many skaters can reach out like that.

And with no explanation really needed, Kurt Browning (who I'm also fortunate enough to have seen in person, both during his competitive and professional careers).
 
Katarina Witt. For me she will forever be the definitive Carmen. I think her performance at the 1988 Olympics is one of the most iconic moments in figure skating history. With a career of more than 20 years, I think she is one of the best skaters the sport has had.
 
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Michelle was my favorite. I remember watching the 1988 and 1992 Olympics but when Michelle appeared in 1994, I was immediately drawn to her because our ages were close. I remember thinking how amazing it was that she was 13 and almost made the Olympics. I grew up with her. She ended up having a very long career and I just sort of followed it along.

I can see how people preferred Sasha or Irina's skating but Michelle was always more of a sentimental favorite for me because of how long I followed her career.
 
As the one who started this thread, I think I need to give an answer. 😀 Although i am a BIG fan of Michelle Kwan and Midori Ito, it was Elaine Zayak at the 1981 Nationals who first got me hooked into figure skating. I was about her age. Like the rest of the world, I'd never seen any female do 7 triple jumps back then. She was so gutsy and always wanting to please her audience. It was also great that she'd respond to my fan mail with a Christmas card or picture. A class act. In most of her international competitions, Elaine would always come from behind e.g. 1981- 5th to 2nd place,1982-7th to 1st place, 1984 Olympics- 13th to 6th place, 1984 worlds- 9th to 3rd place. Even having to face heavy criticism for her athleticism, Elaine was resilient and always joyous. When she revealed in 1984 of her left foot amputation from a lawn mower accident at age 2 1/2, I realized how courageous and amazing this champion really was. Skating was physical therapy for her because it prevented her from limping. Ironically, Elaine was one of my inspirations in becoming a physical therapist. Also, I'm glad she successfully returned to the 1994 Nationals at age 28 after a ten year absence from competition. With her 2 standing ovations, Elaine finally earned the respect from the skating world. If you don't know much about the gal behind the Zayak rule, check out some of her performances on you tube.
 
Probably no man has quite captivated me as much as Alexei Urmanov. His 94 Olympic FP - and the FPs of Candeloro and Stojko as well - were what made me a FS fan. I loved Urmy's ruffles, and that smile, which lit up the whole arena!

I also still have a soft spot for Takeshi Honda. And Tatsuki Machida was my last favorite male skater.

Although I would never think of Stojko as my favorite - although his Bruce Lee is a favorite program - he does come to mind immediately when I think of skaters I respect. I respect Elvis because of his competitive fire and because he never gave up. I'll never forget his gutsy FP performance at the 1998, when he was clearly in tremendous pain from his groin injury, and his subsequently limping to the podium in his running shoes.

I also respect his insistence on remaining true to his own artistic vision, even though it ultimately prevented him from growing IMO.

FS would benefit from skaters who are willing to oppose convention in order to find their own unique styles - we sure do need more of that in the ladies field.

For the ladies, Ito and Slutskaya. And Mao as well, but she is in a league of her own IMO.
 
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Midori Ito - charming, endearing, those triple axels!
Todd Eldredge - love his musical choices, perseverance, spins, & Russian Split Jumps

others very close - Brian Orser, Paul Wylie, Kurt Browning, Javi Fernandez, Michelle Kwan, Satoko Miyahara, Yuka Sato, Mao Asada
 
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I always loved Michelle Kwan and Yuna Kim because growing up they were the only ladies I saw on TV who looked like me. I thought they were both absolutely brilliant.

However I just can't forget the first time I saw Patrick Chan skate in person, the jumps were only kinda there but I was blown away by his actual, pure skating. I've seen him in competition and in exhibitions and I think he goes harder in competition. I'm really sad he's retired now because we may never see that type of skating again.
 
Oksana Baiul (sober), Sasha Cohen (when stable). There are others but these two come immediately to mind. Oh yes, Ekaterina Gordeeva when she was a singles professional, does that count?


Edit: Takahashi and Yuna, when on fire.
 
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