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Michelle Kwan Profile |
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Birth Date: July 7, 1980
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Birth Place: Torrance, California, USA
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Birth Name: Michelle Wing Kwan
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Height: 5'2"
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Biography |
Michelle Kwan, a native of Lake Arrowhead, California,
was born on July 7, 1980, the youngest of three children.
After sitting on the sideline watching her older brother
play hockey, Kwan caught the skating bug and began taking
lessons at the age of five.
Two years later, she won her first figure skating
competition and by the age of twelve, had improved enough to
attract the attention of the famed coach, Frank Carroll. For
the first few years of her senior amateur career, Kwan
competed in the shadow of other skaters, such as Tonya
Harding, whom she finished second to at the US national
competition in 1994, after the infamous attack on Nancy
Kerrigan.
That year Kerrigan took the spot Kwan had earned on the
Olympic squad and as an alternate, Kwan was lost in the
Harding-Kerrigan scandal and the requisite media scrum. In
1995, Kwan matured in appearance, shedding her ponytail and
wearing makeup for once during her routines. Of more
importance however, was the transformation of her
performances.
The judges now recognized her as a young woman with
prodigious talent and as a result of her growth, Kwan placed
second at the nationals and fourth at the world
championship. The next year, she took home both titles and
proved that she had indeed arrived. The following season,
Kwan lost a good friend to a heart attack before the
nationals. Her courageous performance made her a crowd
favorite and although she finished behind Tara Lipinski in
both major competitions that year, she was a victor in every
sense of the word.
At the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, Kwan skated a
beautiful long program, where she began in first place, but
was victimized by having to start first and was denied
several crucial points by the judges. As a result, Lipinski
won yet again and Kwan was relegated to the silver medal.
Yet the best was to come for Kwan.
Since Nagano, she has blazed a trail of spectacular
performances, including several national and world titles,
not to mention gold medals at tournaments such as Skate
America and Skate Canada. Kwan achieved all of this while
taking classes at UCLA, in her native state.
Today, Kwan is the most decorated female figure skater of
the modern era, with more 6.0 marks in competition than
anyone else, five US titles and four world championships.
Her athletic celebrity is unique in that it has transcended
the sport in which she has dominated. She has been named one
of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People
magazine and signed an exclusive deal with Electronic Arts
(EA Sports) to create the first interactive figure skating
video game (Michelle Kwan Figure Skating).
A gold medal favorite at the Winter Olympic Games in Salt
Lake City, Utah, Kwan has yet to disclose whether she is
planning to retire at the end of the 2002 season. |
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Other
Information |
Named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in
the World 2000.
Winner of silver medal in Women's Figure Skating during the
1998 Winter Olympics.
Father, Danny, mother, Estella, older brother, Ron, older
sister, Karen
Sister is also a skater.
Her book is "The Winning Attitude: What it Takes to be a
Champion."
Chinese name is Kwan Wing Shan.
Is claustrophobic.
Spokesperson for Children's Miracle Network.
Gold Medal, 2000 World Figure Skating Championships
Gold Medal, 2000 US National Figure Skating Championships
Silver Medal, 1999 World Figure Skating Championships
Gold Medal, 1999 US National Figure Skating Championships
Gold Medal, 1998 World Figure Skating Championships
Gold Medal, 1998 US National Figure Skating Championships
Silver Medal, 1997 World Figure Skating Championships
Silver Medal, 1997 US National Figure Skating Championships
Gold Medal, 1996 World Figure Skating Championships
Gold Medal, 1996 US National Figure Skating Championships
Silver Medal, 1995 US National Figure Skating Championships
Silver Medal, 1994 US National Figure Skating Championships
Gold Medal, 1994 World Junior Figure Skating Championships
Always wears a gold dragon necklace given to her by her
grandmother.
Gold Medal, 2001 World Figure Skating Championships.
Gold Medal, 2001 US National Figure Skating Championships.
Sister Karen graduated from Brown University, interned with
Vera Wang.
Was the National Campaign chair for the American Library
Association's Teen Read Week Oct 17-23 1999
Has a wax statue of herself at The New York Madame Tussaud's
Wax Museum.
She has her own scholarship, Chevrolet/Michelle Kwan
R.E.W.A.R.D.S Scholarship program. It awards $5,000 dollars
to 10 student athletes.
Was an award presenter at the 2000 Cover Girl Volunteerism
Awards.
Won the bronze medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
Is the most decorated figure skater, male or female, in US
history.
Has earned more perfect 6.0 scores in competition than any
figure skater in the world.
April 9, 2002, Michelle Kwan became only the second figure
skater in history to win the James E. Sullivan Award which
is given to one amateur athlete per year.
She is the new spokesperson for Walt Disney World.
She recently left her hand and skate impressions in a cement
block which will be in Walt Disney World.
Hallmark made a snowglobe with a figurine of her in it.
April 20, 2002 won the Nick Kids Choice Award for Favorite
Female Athlete
She received a Gold Record after the late Eva Cassidy's
"Songbird" reached gold, Michelle had skated to her version
of Fields of Gold which brought a lot of attention to the CD
which might have gone unnoticed otherwise.
She can be seen in the movie "Sorority Girls" while one of
the lead characters is reading a newspaper. The article the
character is reading is about Michelle winning her 4th World
Championship title, there is a picture of her.
The t-shirt she sold on ebay went for $4,850 which was the
highest price of any of the t-shirts that were auctioned
off.
She won the 2002 Kid's & Teens Choice Award for favorite
female athlete
6 time winner of the "Skater of the Year" Award by Skating
Magazine.
5 time winner of the USOC Female Figure Skater of the Year.
1998 Women's Sports Foundation Individual Sportswomen of the
Year.
Awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Sports by the The
Chinese American Museum
Winner of 1997 Dial Award
Aug 4, 2002 won the Teen Choice Award for Favorite Female
Athlete.
She was a finalist for the Sullivan Award in '96
Won her 7th U.S. national title (2003)
Gold Medal, 2003 World Figure Skating Championships
12 time winner of USOC Athlete of the month. That is the
record for male and female recipients.
7 time winner of the "Skater of the Year" Award by Skating
Magazine. She has won the award so much that the magazine
has offically renamed the award the "Michelle Kwan Trophy"
Won the gold at the 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001 & 2003 World
Figure Skating Championships
Won the silver at the 1994 & 2002 Goodwill Games
Won the silver at the 1997, 1999 & 2002 World Figure Skating
Championships
Parted ways with longtime coach, Frank Carroll, shortly
before the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. She
competed without a coach at those Games.
13 time winner of USOC Athlete of the month. That is the
record for male and female recipients.
Michelle has won the Nick Kids Choice Award for Favorite
Female Athlete twice in 2002 and 2003
She is a spokesperson for Walt Disney World.
Won the gold medal at the 1996, 1998-2005 U.S. National
Figure Skating Championships
Won the Silver Medal at the 1994, 1995, and 1997 US National
Figure Skating Championships
Became an aunt on 2 March 2004 when sister Karen gave birth
to Olivia Colett Oppegard.
Received the "Citizenship Thru Sports Alliance Award" on 23
June 2004 in Dallas, Texas.
She was added to Compton's Encyclopedia 2004 edition in the
Notable People's section.
Is a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority.
Won the bronze medal at the 2004 Worlds
Former boyfriend Brad Ference is a hockey player for the
Phoenix Coyotes |
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