however, in this particular discipline, what inspires awe in me personally is someone who still stands on the podium at 30.
Or in the near future for the ladies - the way things are going - 21.
however, in this particular discipline, what inspires awe in me personally is someone who still stands on the podium at 30.
Fair. But even at the tender age of 16 Alina was already one of the GOATS due to the fact she won all major competitions as a Junior and senior by age 16. Completely unprecedented to do it by that age. But yes she still has more to give as long as that tricky left knee of hers holds up.
Fair. But even at the tender age of 16 Alina was already one of the GOATS due to the fact she won all major competitions as a Junior and senior by age 16. Completely unprecedented to do it by that age. But yes she still has more to give as long as that tricky left knee of hers holds up.
But i agree that olys are not enough to call someone GOAT. It's just one competition, even if it's the most prestigious.
What do you guys think?
But young age works in the favour of females, not against them. And not every girl happen to have the Olympics on their 15th birthday.. for example some didn't meet the Olympics age till they are 19.
I know Yuna and Alina are the only female to achieve the grand slam...but the only reason Katarina Witt and Sonja Henie don't have the grand slam is because the GPF didn't exist at their time, despite both probably won more medals than any other female skater.
Alina is on her way to be one of the greatest, but to be in the same status as say Yuna, Katarina and Sonja she probably has to stay on the top for another 2-3 years to make up at least one full quad. Doesn't have to be wining gold all the time, but at least a podium contender. Now you might say why is longevity important - it is because it determines whether you have a lasting impact in the history of skating. Someone who has been competing at the top for one to two full quads, will naturally be remembered more than someone only competing for two years. And I think Alina understands that hence why she is continuing competing despite lots of people think she should just stop and retire now. Girl is ambitious.
Winning the Olympics isn't enough to make one a GOAT, but one who doesn't have an Olympic gold or in the alternative multiple Olympic medals could hardly be one. If you are one of the greatest ever, getting an Olympic medal shouldn't be a problem, particularly for those that had participated at least twice.
You made me look it up! Yes, there was an Olympic medalist in ladies' single skating who was over 30. Ethel Muckell of Great Britain got bronze in 1924 at age 38.
Coincidentally, the youngest was also from Great Britain. Cecelia Coledge got silver in 1936 at age 15 years 79 days. (Alina is fifth and sixth on the youngest list, counting her team silver and individual gold.. )
Fair. But even at the tender age of 16 Alina was already one of the GOATS due to the fact she won all major competitions as a Junior and senior by age 16. Completely unprecedented to do it by that age. But yes she still has more to give as long as that tricky left knee of hers holds up.
Honestly though, when I tell people in the office that I am going to Skate Canada, they politely ask me if I am going there to compete, from which I gather that FS is not quite well-known to an average person, so Zagitova (or anyone else) has her work cut out for her.
Also, GOAT isn't just for Olympic medalists. Fabulous skaters like Kurt Browning, Janet Lynn and Michelle Kwan have won multiple titles - the only one to elude them was Olympic gold. However, you shouldn't dismiss multiple national and world titles
I think it's unfair to call any skater the greatest just because they've won everything.... particularly the Olympics given it happens only once every 4 years and has become extremely dependent on when you turn senior. Not to mention quads have hardly even come yet so which seniors have faced this competition?
Alina is such a wonderful skater, but others are too....Yuna's résumé surpasses hers, Slutskaya's aside from 1 Olympic medal also does in all fields, Zhenya is of the same generation and aside from the Olympics has more of everything else. Alina is already one of the great skaters as almost any Olympic and World champion is, I'm not sure why it's necessary to say anymore.
But the importance of at least an Olympics medal shouldn't be dismissed either when skaters themselves value it so much.
Maybe if she learned how to use edges, learned how to actually move her body in a coordinated way, and do like a proper lutz, then, yeah, maybe.
At 17, she already has the Grand Slam: Olympics, Worlds, Europeans and GPF. I have respect for past greats but the competition is much tougher these days and the skaters are pushing the boundaries with quads, so it's amazing that she's achieved all that with this level of competition. She still has many years left in her career including a possible second Olympic gold but even with what she has I'm ready to call it for now. What do you guys think?