Well that's a shame. Quite a downer to end her Olympic career like this. Just wasn't meant to be. I'm reminded of Mike Powell the long jumper. During the World Championships in '91 he smashed Bob Beamon's long standing World Record, and with a previous Silver medal finish in '88 (behind Carl Lewis), he seemed poised for an Olympic gold medal. Unfortunately he couldn't quite get it done in '92, finishing with a silver again (once again behind Carl Lewis). He did win the '93 World Championship, and much like Kwan, was the dominant figure in his sport two years running from 93-94, winning 34 competitions in a row. But it was Olympic glory that he sought. He had one more chance at a Gold Medal in '96. At this point, he was no longer the top guy in the sport, but he definitely had the ability to catch lightning in a bottle, and pull out a massive jump. But disappointingly, he couldn't put a quality jump together. There would be no fairy tale ending as he finished 5th (Carl Lewis on the other hand, did end his career in spectacular fashion, winning a 4th consecutive gold medal in the long jump, despite not winning a major competition since '92). I'll never forget Mike Powell's final jump. Either he faulted badly, or just completely busted his jump, but he ended up falling forward into the sand. Here's a picture: He laid there for a long time. When he finally got up, caked in sand with his Olympic dreams totally dashed, he looked like the saddest man in the world. It's an image that has stuck with me ever since.
m_cable, That reminds me of the Korean boxer in Seoul who sat in the ring corner for hours (how long was it?) after he lost a bout.
is this the first figure skating thread here? i can't get anyone to talk horse racing with me....but apparently figure skating is ON!!!
I agree that she didn't have much of a shot. But like Carl Lewis, I wanted to be surprised, I wanted her to defy the odds. Sad to see her go out like this. Rather she went out on her own terms. I remember, in 2000, when she left the olympic arena they played U2's "Haven't found what I'm looking for"... sad stuff.
What it comes down to Max is that everybody here would do Michelle Kwan, and I'm sure most of us wouldn't do a horse.
My wife says, "Yaaaay!" Supposedly Emily Hughes fought hard to get that spot. Kwon came along and was given the spot without having to qualify.
And Kwan lost her spot in '94 to Nancy Kerrigan . Emily Hughes' time no doubt would have come along. But this was Kwan' final chance, and for a woman who has been THE face of the sport for the better part of a decade, she deserved that chance.
well, if it was going to happen, I'm glad it happened in time to give Emily a chance to get there. I feel bad for Michelle, but she's been fighting so many injuries lately that this was a strong possibility.
