Michelle Kwan
Michelle Kwan is a renowned figure skater, celebrated as one of the most decorated athletes in the sport's history. Born on July 7, 1980, in Torrance, California, Kwan began skating at age five and quickly rose to prominence, winning nine U.S. Figure Skating Championships, five World Championships, and two Olympic medals. Her career spanned a decade, during which she became known for her artistry and impressive technical skills, including her signature change-of-edge spiral. Kwan's dedication to her sport was matched by her commitment to education; she pursued her studies alongside her skating career, attending UCLA and later the University of Denver.
Later in life, Kwan transitioned from athletics to public service, becoming the first U.S. public diplomacy envoy and serving in various roles, including as a surrogate director for political campaigns and as the U.S. ambassador to Belize, making history as the first Asian American woman in that position. Kwan has also actively promoted the interests of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and contributed to cultural awareness through media projects. Her legacy in figure skating is characterized not only by her competitive successes but also by her ability to connect emotionally with audiences, making her a beloved figure in both sports and public life.
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Michelle Kwan
- Born: July 7, 1980
- Place of Birth: Torrance, California
ATHLETE
Michelle Kwan is among the most decorated figure skaters in the history of the sport. The winner of nine US Figure Skating Championships, five World Figure Skating Championship titles, and two Olympic medals, she continued her mastery of the sport for ten years, becoming one of the most admired athletes both on and off the ice.
Full name: Michelle Wingshan Kwan
Birth name: Kwan Wing Shan
Area of achievement: Sports
Early Life
Michelle Wingshan Kwan was born on July 7, 1980, in Torrance, California. She is the third and youngest child of Danny and Estella Wing Kwan, immigrants who moved from Hong Kong to California after they were married. Michelle Kwan began ice skating at age five after watching her older brother, Ron, play hockey. She and her sister, Karen, were finally allowed to take skating lessons, which placed a heavy financial burden on the family.
To finance the sisters’ training, the family sold their house and moved to a house in Torrance owned by Danny’s parents. Michelle and Karen began skating practice at three o’clock in the morning and were back on the ice again after school. In 1991, Michelle won a gold medal in the United States Figure Skating Association’s Southwest Pacific Junior Championship, and in 1992, she won the bronze medal in the Pacific Coast Junior Championship.
Michelle’s wins earned her a scholarship to pay for a coach and rink fees at Ice Castle, an exclusive training center. Karen (who was also admitted to the program), Michelle, and their father moved to Lake Arrowhead, California, for the girls to begin working with noted skating coach Frank Carroll.
At the age of thirteen, Michelle Kwan competed as the youngest skater at the 1993 US Figure Skating Championships. She placed sixth. At the Olympic Festival later that year, she won the gold medal. In the 1994 US Championships in Detroit, Kwan placed second behind Tonya Harding, who was later disqualified for her involvement in an attack on competitor Nancy Kerrigan. Kwan went on to the World Figure Skating Championships, where she placed eighth and was named an alternate at the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. However, she did not compete.
For the 1996 season, Kwan assumed a more mature look, achieved more expressive artistry, improved both her speed and her jumps, and developed stronger choreographic techniques. She perfected the change-of-edge spiral, a turn in which her weight shifted from the inside to the outside edge of the skate, which became her signature move. She swept both the US Championships and the World Championships in 1996 and became the brightest new skating star.
While beginning her promising career as a figure skater, Kwan maintained her schooling. She graduated from Rim of the World High School in 1999 and attended the University of California, Los Angeles. She dropped out after one year to pursue her skating career.
Life’s Work
Kwan’s career suffered some setbacks in 1997. Hampered by new skates that she was under contract to wear as an endorsement, she fell twice and faltered in her free skate in the US Championships, losing to Tara Lipinski. With a stress fracture in her foot, Kwan entered the 1998 US Championships, in which Lipinski was the favorite. However, Lipinski fell in the short program, opening the way for Kwan to be the first woman to earn a perfect score in the US Championships. Altogether, she received seven 6.0 marks from the judges. In the long program, she was given seven out of nine possible perfect scores, making her presentations the best ever seen at the US Championships.
Following her 1998 success, Kwan elected to skate on programs for television but continued to enter competitions whose wins would retain her eligibility for the Olympics. In 1999, Kwan won the US Championships, but her competition in the 2000 US Championships brought forth numerous complaints about her program, which was seen to be easier than those of her competitors. However, she fell on the questionable jump and finished third. Undeterred, she returned the following year to win the 2001 US Championships.
In 2001, Kwan and coach Frank Carroll ended their longtime association, and with no plans to engage another coach, Kwan arrived at the 2002 US Championships on her own, aiming to “take responsibility” for her skating. Winning the US Championships, she placed third in the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and second in the World Championships. Desperate for the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games again in 2006 for the gold medal, Kwan continued entering competitions whose wins conferred Olympic eligibility. Still an amateur, she was given a lucrative contract with the Disney Corporation as a spokesperson and performer.
Kwan, under the guidance of her new coach, Scott Williams, won all competitions she entered in 2002–03 and regained her world title. In 2003, Kwan engaged famed technician Rafael Arutunian to help advance her technical expertise. Kwan skated well in the 2003 US Championships and won. Intent upon qualifying for the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, Kwan suffered a hip injury in a fall in 2005, which forced her to withdraw from all planned competitions before the Olympic Games. An abdominal injury in December 2005 ultimately forced Kwan to withdraw from the 2006 Olympic Games.
That same year, Kwan decided to pursue her education and her interest in foreign policy. She enrolled at the University of Denver to finish her undergraduate work. She was also appointed the first US public diplomacy envoy by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. She traveled around the world, working with students on leadership and social issues. Upon graduation from the University of Denver, Kwan decided to put off the 2008 Olympics to enroll at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, for postgraduate work in international studies. She did pause her studies at Tufts briefly to work at ABC as a correspondent for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Kwan wrote her autobiography at age seventeen and an inspirational book for children, The Winning Attitude: What It Takes to Be a Champion, in 2001. In 2002, Kwan was awarded the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award for America’s best amateur athlete.
Eight years later, in 2010, Kwan served on the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition under President Barack Obama. In 2012, Kwan was inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and that same year, she went to work for the US Department of State in the Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau. Kwan joined the staff of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, which proved unsuccessful, and later served as a surrogate director for Joe Biden's successful 2020 presidential campaign. In 2022, Biden appointed Kwan as the United States' ambassador to Belize, making her the first Asian American woman to hold that post.
From 2013 to 2017, Kwan was married to Clay Pell, a national security expert for the White House who mounted an unsuccessful bid for governor of Rhode Island. Kwan welcomed a daughter, Kalista Belle, in January 2022.
Kwan has also been an advocate for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIA). Notably, she served as an executive producer for and co-hosted an installment of the 2021 documentary series Recipe for Change, celebrating APIA cultures and addressing anti-APIA racism.
Significance
Michelle Kwan’s exceptional performances on ice were the result of personal and family dedication to the development of her talent. The years of training instilled in her ideals of fine skating—the importance of athleticism, precision, skills, and good sportsmanship—but Kwan’s uniqueness came from the blending of these basic elements with her own innate qualities. Never content to skate by numbers or merely exhibit correctness, Kwan sought to connect with the audience and invite them to join her on an emotional journey. Her musical accompaniments intensified the experience as she dazzled audiences with her expressive artistry and exquisite techniques. Even in defeat, she won the audience's affection for her graciousness and continued to enjoy great admiration and popularity. In retirement, she parlayed her sportsmanship into a career in diplomacy and political organization.
Bibliography
Bogage, Jacob. "From Olympic Medalist to Political Operative: Michelle Kwan Joins Biden Campaign." The Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/04/25/olympic-medalist-political-operative-michelle-kwan-joins-biden-campaign/. Accessed 20 July 2021.
Hines, Ree. "Michelle Kwan Welcomes 1st Baby, Explains Why She Kept Pregnancy Private." NBC News, 6 Jan. 2022, www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/michelle-kwan-welcomes-1st-baby-explains-kept-pregnancy-private-rcna11180. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.
Koestler-Grack, Rachel A. Michelle Kwan. Chelsea, 2007.
Kwan, Michelle, and Laura M. James. Michelle Kwan: My Story—Heart of a Champion. Scholastic, 1988.
LeBlanc, Paul. "Senate Confirms Michelle Kwan as US Ambassador to Belize." CNN, 29 Sept. 2022, www.cnn.com/2022/09/29/politics/michelle-kwan-us-belize-ambassador/index.html. Accessed 20 Aug. 2022.
Milton, Steve. Figure Skating’s Greatest Stars. Firefly, 2009.