Blogtober Day 28: Michelle Kwan

True story: my first Olympic memory involves Michelle Kwan and bitter anger. It was the night before my seventh birthday, Tara Lipinski was screaming her annoying head off after beating Michelle for the gold medal, and I was SO STINKING MAD. I'm still not entirely over that, to be honest. *grumbles*

Essentially, Michelle achieved everything a figure skater could possibly achieve except winning Olympic gold. She won five World Championships (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003), tying her for most wins by an American. She has won nine U.S. Championships (1996, 1998–2005), tying the record for most wins; her eight consecutive titles is a U.S. record, as is her streak of 12 consecutive medals. She is the only woman in figure skating history to reclaim the World title three times (1998, 2000, 2003). In her career, she received a total of 57 6.0s (perfect scores) from her at nationals and worlds. At the U.S. Championships alone, she holds the record for most 6.0s. And, since figure skating is no longer scored on the 6.0 scale, nobody will ever overtake her.

And then, of course, is the Olympic silver medal from 1998 and the Olympic bronze medal from 2002.

Can you say flawless?

Michelle the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, and is widely regarded as one of the best figure skaters of all time. She was on top of the figure skating world for over a decade, which is kiiiiiind of ridiculous. She's also one of the most beloved American athletes, uh, ever.

She's MICHELLE FREAKING KWAN, that's why you should care!

*drops mic*