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Michelle Kwan. Photo by: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel- Wikimedia.

Top 10 Facts about Michelle Kwan

Michelle Kwan was born in Torrance, California on July 7, 1980. Kwan expressed interest in figure skating when she accompanied her brother and sister, Ron and Karen, onto the ice, saying that all she could remember was “every day, tying up my skates and a big smile on my face, excited to go on the ice.”

She went to public school until the eighth grade, when she began home-schooling in 1994.

Michelle Kwan, also known as Kwan Shan Wing, is the most decorated figure skater in the United States of America. She has 43 championships to her credit, including nine US National Championships, five World Championships, and two Olympic medals.

Michelle Kwan has been a long-time supporter of Special Olympics. Over the last decade, she has attended Special Olympics events on a local, regional, and global scale. She is still using her platform to advocate for people with intellectual disabilities worldwide.

1. Junior world champion at a young age

Visit of figure-skating star Michelle Kwan to State, where she joined Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes in the Treaty Room for the announcement of Kwan’s appointment as the first American Public Diplomacy Envoy. Photo by: Ann Thomas- Wikimedia.

In 1994, Kwan won the world junior championship. The following year, at the age of 13, she finished in the top ten of the world senior championship. When she was 15, she became world champion.

World Championships: first place in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003 Olympics: silver in 1998, bronze in 2002. First place in the United States Championships in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.

2. Early life and her world titles

Kwan started skating when she was five years old and won her first competition two years later. She earned an alternate spot on the United States Olympic team in 1994 and finished fourth at the World Championships the following year.

She won her first U.S. and world titles in 1996, sporting a new, more mature appearance. Kwan finished second to Tara Lipinski at the US and world championships in 1997 after a growth spurt that added both height and weight.

She entered the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, as the gold medal favorite, having defeated Lipinski earlier in the year at the US championships. Lipinski, on the other hand, won the closely contested event, leaving Kwan with a silver medal. At the 2002 Olympics, she won a bronze medal in Salt Lake City and Utah.

3. Education aside from figure skating

Kwan won her ninth US title in 2005, tying Maribel Vinson’s 1937 record. Later that year, nevertheless, she finished fourth at the world championships, the first time she had not won a world medal since 1995.

Her professional career would come to an end with this event. She qualified for the United States Olympic team in 2006, but was forcibly removed due to an injury sustained during her first practice at the Games in Turin, Italy. Kwan did not compete in the 2007 and 2008 seasons because she was enrolled at The university of Denver.

Kwan considered competing in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, but instead enrolled at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where she earned a master’s degree in international relations in 2011.

4. Ascend to popularity and how she gained traction 

Michelle Kwan performing her signature spiral at a practice session at the 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles, CA. Photo by: Kevin Rushforth- Wikimedia.

Kwan started to establish a more artistic and mature style in 1996. She honed her skills and progressed to much more complicated choreography. Kwan won both the US and World Championships that year.

Kwan struggled with her jumps the following season due to a growth spurt and new skating boots from an endorsement contract. These challenges resulted in the loss of the 1997 U.S. Nationals and a fourth-place finish in the World Championships.

Kwan regained her US title at the 1998 National Championships, qualifying for the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. She was considered one of the favorites to win the gold medal, but instead took silver.

Kwan took part in several television-produced events during the 1998-1999 season. She won the United States Championships and finished second at the World Championships.

She started working with the famous fashion designer Vera Wang in 2000, who made her costumes for the next six years. Kwan arrived at the 2001 U.S. Championships without a coach, but she won the competition and secured a spot on the 2002 Olympic team.

She started working with coach Scott Williams and continued on her Olympic-qualifying circuit. Kwan also hired a new technical coach and significantly increased the technical difficulty of her programs. With this, she was able to win both the US and World Championships in 2004.

5. Later career and why she had to quit the sport

Kwan won her ninth US title in the 2004-2005 season. However, due to a new judging system at the World Championships, Kwan did not win a medal for the first time since 1995.

Due to an injury, Kwan was forced to withdraw from Olympic qualification in Turin, Italy in 2006. She had to withdraw from several competitions during the 2005 season. She requested a medical waiver from the United States Figure Skating Association in order to be considered for the Olympic team.

She obtained the waiver and completed her programs in order for the panel to be confirmed.

6. How Michelle Kwan succumbed to her injury

Ice skate, c. 1995, signed by Michelle Kwan (Courtesy of Michelle Kwan)- The Women’s Museum, Dallas, Texas. Photo by: User:FA2010- Wikimedia.

Kwan withdrew from the Olympic team in February 2006 due to a groin injury. She missed the 2006-2007 season after undergoing hip surgery. Her first on-ice performance after surgery was in 2009, at Ice All Stars. She also announced that she would be an ABC News commentator during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

7. Activities off the ice ring that help the society

Kwan’s off-ice activities have been equally noteworthy. Kwan was assigned as the United States’ first Public Diplomacy Envoy in 2006. President Barack Obama assigned her to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition in 2010, where she advised the President on how to engage, empower, and educate all Americans to lead active, healthy lifestyles.

Ms. Kwan was elected to the Special Olympics International Board of Directors in 2010. She worked as an outreach coordinator for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016. Kwan is currently the Director of Surrogates for the Joe Biden 2020 Campaign.

8. The United States history about Michelle  Kwan

Michelle is the most decorated figure skater in US history, according to Wikipedia. She has been following high-level competition in the United States and around the world for over a decade.

9. Popular female athlete during her time and generations to come

All through her reign as a figure skater, she was known for more than just her skating abilities. She was also named the most popular female athlete. She has appeared in a few TV specials, magazine covers, and endorsement deals.

10. How many languages can Michelle Kwan speak?

As a child, she was bilingual due to her Hong Kong background. When she was at home, she frequently spoke English and Cantonese.