Michelle Kwan - 1997 Worlds SP - Dream of Desdemona 

while I really loved Michelle and all of her tenacity and great performances, I think that this was probably the best short program ever skated. Caryn timed all of her arm, leg, footwork and jumps to the music. I think that she was the most artistic skater that I've ever seen since watching skating in 1974. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-57AXUFZ_Vho.html

FkN A. They would see this as one of the greatest human achievement.

Actually, my memories of Michelle under the new scoring system aren't very happy ones. She didn't do well under that system at all much to my surprise. The judges seemed to hit her harder under open scoring. :/

Margaret Tudor She only competed under the new scoring system during the last few seasons of her competitive career. By that time, her programs were no where near this intricately choreographed. So it’s not surprising and probably somewhat warranted she didn’t fare as well under the new scoring system. This program, however, is stunning. A true masterpiece, particularly for a short program where the emphasis is usually to just get through each of the required elements cleanly.

@@ohioweatherguy She only competed under the new system once. After that, she was injured and never competed in a national or international competition again.

faeryquene me too

They need to bring it back

Skating is unwatchable now

I agree. There are definitely some skaters during some times who got "held up" and over marked for the quality of their performances. Not Michelle. Somehow just when she should have hit her peak the sport cannibalized itself and turned away from "figure" "skating" and became all about jumps. Jumps should be an element in a program...not the whole program. Quads don't impress me. I miss programs like MK's or Chen Lu's...the moved so fluidly and actually interpreted and enhanced their musical pieces, as true artists do. Modern programs (or, Oly gold programs since 1998) are not art. It's no wonder the sport is all but dead.

A road runner, or a roller derby queen. You're right, it's unwatchable. Growing up watching figure skating become bastardized into a mess of jumping...and setting up for jumps..and jumping again...where flailing arms pass for "artistry." No, I don't care to watch that garbage. Removing school figures from competition was ultimately a death knell for "figure" skating.

This comment is so old, but I believe it could have gone either way! They were both that good. Chen LU had such an incredible ethereal quality about her skating, but not great spins honestly. Michelle had such a precise balance of artistry with technical skill, although her jumps weren't huge. I prefer that though, she is so.stunning to watch. Never gets old.

That didn't help Medvedeva, the 2 time b-2-b world champ, win gold in pyeongchang

rfillangi I don’t think that would’ve changed anything. If anything, had Michelle places second in the short program, that would’ve lit a fire under her ass. She might’ve skated with more passion and fire, knowing that she had to make up some ground. Unlike in 98 and 02, when she succumbed to the pressure of being 1st after the short at the Olympics.

Incredible Mann yeah. That's what u call uneven....if it wasn't, the majority of the placements would be 4th place.

12 years later...I agree with you. watching it was painful then and rewatching it hasn't changed that feeling. TL did NOT interpret music at all (although of course the commentators lied left and right about how she "felt every note"), had shallow edges, zero artistry, and tiny little jumps with hardly any air. I will give her she was very fast, and skated with little abandon...but I don't feel that's world quality ladies championship material. She looked like she never should have left the junior circuit. Who cares about her triple-triples now? Sorry, this is harsh sounding, but I really feel this is about the time the sport changed irrecovably for the worse.

No.

@@TT-ee4qp YUP YUP

@@AdvantageYT Tara had no artistry. LOL.

@@AdvantageYT Tara was nothing more than a Kid.

@@AdvantageYT Tara's performance just like a happy puppy.

Tara was overrated is the reason that Michelle didn't get the 1998 Olympics , Michelle was robbed. Tara's performance just like a Disney cartoon.

@@TT-ee4qp NOPE AINT ROBBED BUT YOU'RE LIKE A DISNEY CARTOON THAT KEEPS REPEATIN ON TV. GROW UP AND SWITCH YOUR CHANEL TO ADULTS ALREADY AND GET OVER YOUR 24 YEAR ITCH, I MEAN PAIN WTF!!!!!

@@AdvantageYT Tara should go to the kid's Olympics.

@@AdvantageYT Tara wasn't good enough to join the 2002 Olympics.....

@@AdvantageYT People couldn't ask more artistry of a kid like Tara, Tara was a Peter Pan.

loco madre Exactly! Nationals was a hot mess.

Michelle's artistry and technique were better than Tara, enjoy it.

@@TT-ee4qp Technique, no. She fell out of important combination jumps. Tara did not. Michelle spent too much time perfecting her wonderful artisty at the sacrifice of her technique, which is why she lost to Sarah, Tara, and Maria in the important competitions. Also, she skated way too slow here. In her many interviews, she never mentions any other competitors and I get the feeling she tries to imagine that they don't exist. A good competitor (like Katarina Witt - there were other skaters better than her but she knew how to beat them in competition) would pay attention to what the other good skaters were doing, and then plan accordingly. Michelle only concerned herself with Michelle, and you can't expect to win competitions if you don't pay attention to the other competitors. Which is why she continued to lose in pressure situations where she had no choice but to pay attention to the others.

@@scottw6704 Actually, Michelle had triple triple combo since 1995 ~ 2004 , which means her technique was stable and better than the other skaters like Tara had triple triple combo just for 2~3 years. 😊😊😊

@@scottw6704 Unfortunately, Michelle got hurt ( her toes ) before the 98 Olympics, so she couldn't make triple triple combo there........Lucky Tara 1 .😎