What is the most heartbreaking moment in skating competition

TontoK · Dec 1, 2018

heyheyhey said:
What? Why would he choice that time to tell her that? That’s just so unnecessarily dramatic and ridiculous, he couldn’t wait until they got home?

It may not be that was when he told her... she may have known... he might have just said something bland like "Thank you for being my partner; I wish you well."

Whatever it was, it was a very emotional moment for her. It's worth noting that in a practice session at that comp, she fell in a lift and spent a night in the hospital with concussion symptoms. So, really it might have just been the whole conflagration of events taking their toll. Still, it is heartbreaking to view the footage, which I cannot find now.

I guess what surprised me most about this episode when I learned about it in later life... was that the Soviets actually let them split. My notions at the time (and to a certain extent, now) were that the authoritarian State would have decided that it was in the collective interest for them to remain a pair.

samkrut@mail.ru · Dec 1, 2018

Out of those mentioned cases I saw live about 10. With one clear exception I agree that all of them are heart-breaking. But, of course, last Yulia's performance beat them all. I was sitting may be 10 meters from the boards where she came.

Fluture · Dec 1, 2018

Imagine said:
At the time, this...

But having been witness to all the evil, hateful, individuals that crawled out of the woodwork following what actually happened that night...maybe it was for the best.

I always wondered how big the uproar would have been if had Yulia won over Yuna and Carolina instead of Adelina. She surely would have got her fair share of hate as well but I doubt it would have been as drastic as it was with Adelina. Yulia at least was known at this point already from her performance in the team event.

Sochi general were heartbreaking Olympics from a figure skating fan’s point of view. From Yuna losing the Gold, to Yulia falling in the Individual Event after a stunning Team Event, to Mao’s SP (even though she redeemed herself in the FS beautifully) and yes, to Adelina as well. She probably would have fared better with the Silver... The hate this poor girl had to endure after she won was truly heartbreaking. I mean, I can‘t deny I was angry. But I would never go and call her out for “stealing“ a gold when she didn‘t even judge herself. That‘s what‘s heartbreaking in figure skating, too... to see how fans sometimes react. :shrug:

Mathman · Dec 1, 2018

Paul Binnebose was a U.S. pairs skater with partner Laura Handy in the late 1990s. They were the junior world silver medalists and U.S. senior bronze medalist in 1999.

While practicing a star lift, Binnebose fell, fractured his skull, and suffered a life-threatening brain injury. He was in an induced coma for weeks. He never recovered completely, but eventually was able to resume a normal life.

Handy refused to look for another partner, holding out hope that a miracle might allow Binnebose to return to skating. Finally, a year later, Paul was able to prevail upon her to go forward with her own career, and she skated a couple of seasons with a new partner, Jonathan Hunt.

Here are Handy and Binnebose, U.S. Nationals, 1999:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRlU2YuVY0s

el henry · Dec 1, 2018

satine said:
It is impossible for skaters to be at the level they are today back in the 1920's. Impossible. Every facet of skating -from the boots, blades, ice conditions, what was thought to be physically possible, etc., -simply was not up to par with what it is today. I am sure if Herma were competing under 2018 conditions, she'd be an even greater skater than she was nearly 100 years ago- and she was already the best in the world in two disciplines

Oh, as the person with the old lady cane, I am not quarreling with the achievements of the skating ancestors; on that we agree:agree: I shake the old lady cane at those who say, oh, well they only jumped singles or doubles or whatever. They paved the way for those to come. Also, if it wasn’t for Sonja Henie, I would not be on this Board. My mother discovered skating from Sonja and here we are :biggrin:

Props to Herma :clap:

GGFan · Dec 1, 2018

Quick question: to the extent that your heartbreaking moments have involved your favorites, how have you responded? Do you wholeheartedly take on other favorites?

For me I know there's a conscious holding back since Michelle. I still love figures skating and I still have faves like Nathan and Sui/Han. However, with Sui/Han when they got silver the pain wasn't the same because I didn't build my expectations quite as high. I give my heart but only partly now.

It's a defensive move on my part but it's also a reflection of the fact that anything can happen in figure skating and judges are human.

Mathman · Dec 1, 2018

zanadude said:
She was a hoss. Won the 1925 World Championships in singles and pairs skating. When was the last time you saw anybody even compete in both at the same competition?

There was a U.S. skater back in the day who won Olympic medals in both singles and pairs, but not at the same time. Beatrix Loughran won the silver at the 1924 Olympics and the bronze in 2028. Then she took a couple of years off and came back as a pairs skater (with Sherman Badger) to win a silver in 1932.

Vandevska · Dec 1, 2018

Evgenia crying in KnC at the Olympics and after saying that she gave it all.
The death of Denis Ten and especially watching Shae Lynn Bourne's tribute, - I cried a river watching that.
Alina at worlds 2018, I was so stunned.
Evgenia's LP at IDF this year.

I read everything you guys wrote and I got sad. These athletes have it so hard.

Roast Toast · Dec 1, 2018

GGFan said:
Quick question: to the extent that your heartbreaking moments have involved your favorites, how have you responded? Do you wholeheartedly take on other favorites?

For me I know there's a conscious holding back since Michelle. I still love figures skating and I still have faves like Nathan and Sui/Han. However, with Sui/Han when they got silver the pain wasn't the same because I didn't build my expectations quite as high. I give my heart but only partly now.

It's a defensive move on my part but it's also a reflection of the fact that anything can happen in figure skating and judges are human.

I think that "first love" skater/team is always going to be your biggest heartbreak.

Skatefan15 · Dec 1, 2018

Max missing out on the Olympics in 2014 & 2018.
Yuzuru FS at the COC '14.
Mao SP at Olympics 2014.
Evgenia after her FS at the Olympics and this past week at IdF.
:sad21:

Mathman · Dec 1, 2018

GGFan said:
Quick question: to the extent that your heartbreaking moments have involved your favorites, how have you responded? Do you wholeheartedly take on other favorites?

For me, I had a hard time giving my heart to Sasha Cohen after Naomi Nari Nam fell out of contention at 2000 U.S. Nationals. NNN had dazzled the year before. I remember calling out to my wife, hey, come and look at this! Some little girl on TV is beating Michelle Kwan! (She didn't beat Michelle, but she did get second.

)

The next year (2000) coach John Nicks brought the Terrible Twosome of Naomi Nari Nam and Sasha Cohen, just up from juniors, to Nationals. Sasha made a splash with the silver. :rock:

But Naomi faltered and was later diagnosed with some sort of injury and was soon forced to stop altogether.

Then in 2001 Sasha was injured and unable to compete, and it was deja vu all over again.

OT. The wonderful world of names. Nari has a sister named Nami. Their parents gave them both the same English name Naomi. (English in the sense of Hebrew.

) So they are Naomi Nari Nam and Naomi Nami Nam.

Later Naomi Nari Nam had a somewhat successful rebirth as a pairs skater, partnering with Themistocles Leftheris. Themi was named after the fifth century BCE Greek naval hero and politician who saved Athens in the Persian Wars.

WhiteProphet · Dec 1, 2018

Stephane Lambiel at Vancouver Olympics... so close to the podium :sad21:

TryMeLater · Dec 1, 2018

Mathman said:
There was a U.S. skater back in the day who won Olympic medals in both singles and pairs, but not at the same time. Beatrix Loughran won the silver at the 1924 Olympics and the bronze in 2028. Then she took a couple of years off and came back as a pairs skater (with Sherman Badger) to win a silver in 1932.

Winning a medal in both 1924 and 2028 will be an impressive feat

zanadude said:
She was a hoss. Won the 1925 World Championships in singles and pairs skating. When was the last time you saw anybody even compete in both at the same competition?

Kristi Yamaguchi competed both in singles and pairs categories in the WC twice (1989 and 1990).
She and Galindo used to do SBS 3F.

TallyT · Dec 1, 2018

Can I put my hand up for Patrick Chan during the Sochi flower ceremony? I don't even like him (his skating was beautiful though, even when I first started watching as a biased newbie that was obvious) and to an extent it was nemesis, but watching him trying so hard in front of the world not to look shattered and humiliated... it hurt that anyone had to go thought that.

uhh · Dec 1, 2018

For me, watching Elena Ilinykh at Worlds 2014. She carried herself which such grace and skated perfectly despite everything going on around her. I really was devastated for her, particulaly watching her in the k&c after the free with Morozov & Katsalapov acting like nothing was wrong at all.

kresslia · Dec 1, 2018

I am still young at 23 so I don't have as many memories as a lot of you, but Patrick Chan in Sochi shattered me. I'm not a megafan or anything, though I do think his skating is sublime. More than anything, I just wanted one of Canada's brilliant male skaters to finally reach the top of that Olympic podium.

The worst part was that it looked like he was going to do it for a short while. Yuzu fell, Patrick NAILED the opening quad (3 GOE!), and then he fell apart. He could have afforded a couple mistakes. But not a meltdown.

I just remember saying "it's not enough" when he stepped off the ice. Admitting that, after years of anticipation, was crushing.

Mathman · Dec 1, 2018

Fluture said:
I always wondered how big the uproar would have been if had Yulia won over Yuna and Carolina instead of Adelina.

I agree that it would have been a different story if Lipnitskaia had won. Although she didn't win quite everything in sight leading up to the Games, she definitely had the momentum and the buzz even before her spectacular performance in the team event. Even the most casual of skating fans knew about the girl in the red coat. If Julia had won the individual gold medal instead of Adelina, Yuna Kim fans would have been disappointed but not horror-stricken.

CellarDweller · Dec 1, 2018

Nancy Kerrigan's 1993 World Champions performance, where she dropped from 1st to 5th. I remember her turning to her coach and saying "Oh my God, I just lost it. I just want to die."

Nancy Kerrigan after the attack when she was screaming in pain, and her father carrying her out.

Gracie Gold at Rostelecom Cup this year.

Tonia Kwiatkowski's 1998 US Nationals, when she lost her last chance to go to an Olympics.

Nicole Bobek's performance at the World Championships in 1997, taking place 2 days after her coach died. After her program she went to center ice, prayed and cried for him.

skateluvr · Dec 1, 2018

NAOTMAA said:
I still can't watch Michelle in 1998 or 2002.

I remember getting spoiled in 98 and thinking she had to have fallen there's no way she could have lost otherwise and just couldn't believe it. And that didn't soften the blow at all watching it later. Seeing her cry in the K&C being so happy and relieved and seeing her father in the stands so excited and people congratulating him. And then seeing Tara jumping up and down screaming and Michelle walking backstage wiping tears, ugh

2002 I'll never forget until the ladies event all my favorites won and thinking it was going to all go my way. Then the one I wanted most of all didn't. The image of Michelle and Danny so beaten in the K&C which seemed to be going on forever. They kept cutting to her brother and sister in the stands. And after the marks the placement still having her overall temporarily first and knowing it likely wound't last. The constant showing of the wall she was behind backstage and praying harder then ever that Irina would fall and a miracle would happen with every bobble she made. It was misery.

I can't even watch her brilliant nationals performances from either year because it just reminds me of what would happen later and that's too bad because those were magical :sad21:

Wow. I too cried when she skated her fields of gold exhibition. My God my fri Nd said Michelle is crying all the way to the bank. How can anyone feel sorry for a beautiful figure skater with very title multiple times but one? And a multi millionaire teenager with parents that would sell their blood to pay for her skating. This thread shows how melodramatic people can be about their favorites. That is sports and I like the people that keep it in perspective. It is really much sadder I am sure that adult Michelle had to get divorced. I’m sure that was sad but not in competition. She was devastated more by her husbands gubernatorial loss and like Hillary as she was so involved. Michelle Kwan probably never ev n thinks about one medal she didn’t win out of literally hundreds.

Ziotic · Dec 1, 2018

I remember watching Sale and Pelletier (originally) getting silver in 2002 and I was devastated.

What is the most heartbreaking moment in skating competition

TontoK

Hot Tonto

[email protected]

Medalist

Fluture

Mathman

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.

GGFan

Mathman

Vandevska

U don't have to build the end of the world out it.

Roast Toast

Skatefan15

Mathman

WhiteProphet

TryMeLater

TallyT

uhh

kresslia

Mathman

CellarDweller

Ice Time

skateluvr

Ziotic

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