 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
| Karen Kwan | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 1, 1978 Torrance, California, USA |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country |  United States |
| Retired | 1997 |
Karen Wingyan Kwan [1] (born 1 June 1978) is an American retired figure skater and choreographer. She is the older sister of Michelle Kwan.
Karen Kwan was born in Torrance, California.
The Kwan sisters began figure skating at the same time and trained and competed against each other for years. Karen, like Michelle, was coached by Frank Carroll at the Lake Arrowhead training center. Though Karen's results never quite matched Michelle's, she was known for her long legs and arms that added a lyrical style and an elegant dimension to her skating. She also had consistent triple jumps and good technical spins. Karen also represented the United States at numerous international skating events, and won the bronze medal at the 1996 Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany. At 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall, Karen stands about 1⁄2-foot (15 cm) taller than Michelle. She retired in 1997 to focus on school. She attended Boston University.
Since ending her competitive skating career, Kwan has maintained her connection to the sport. She works as a choreographer and is the skating director at the East West Skating Palace, [2] in Artesia, California. The Kwan family owns and operates the rink.
Kwan graduated from Boston University in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in communications. She worked with clothing designer Vera Wang, who is noted for designing figure skating costumes for Olympians Nancy Kerrigan, Michelle Kwan, Evan Lysacek and Nathan Chen.
Kwan was married to 1988 Olympic bronze medallist Peter Oppegard. They have two daughters.
As of 2017, they were estranged. [3] They divorced in 2022.
| International | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 1994–95 | 1995–96 | 1996–97 |
| Nebelhorn Trophy | 3rd | ||
| Trophée Lalique | 7th | ||
| National | |||
| U.S. Championships | 7th | 5th | 7th |
| Pacific Coast Sect. | 1st | 4th | |
Sarah Elizabeth Hughes is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2002 Olympic Champion and the 2001 World bronze medalist in ladies' singles.
Michelle Wingshan Kwan is a retired competitive figure skater and diplomat serving as United States Ambassador to Belize. In figure skating Kwan is a two-time Olympic medalist, a five-time World champion and a nine-time U.S. champion. She is tied with Maribel Vinson for the all-time National Championship record.
Tara Kristen Lipinski is an American former competitive figure skater, actress, sports commentator, and documentary film producer. A former competitor in women's singles, she is the 1998 Olympic champion, the 1997 World champion, a two-time Champions Series Final champion (1997–1998) and the 1997 U.S. national champion. Until 2019, she was the youngest single skater to win a U.S. Nationals and the youngest to become an Olympic and World champion in figure skating history. She is the first woman to complete a triple loop-triple loop combination, her signature jump element, in competition. Starting in 1997, Lipinski had a rivalry with fellow skater Michelle Kwan, which was played up by the American press, and culminated when Lipinski won the gold medal at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano.
Maribel Yerxa Vinson-Owen was an American figure skater and coach. She competed in the disciplines of ladies' singles and pair skating. As a single skater, she was the 1932 Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time World medalist, the 1937 North American champion, and a nine-time U.S. national champion. As a pair skater, she was the 1935 North American champion and four-time national champion with George Hill. She also won two national titles with Thornton Coolidge. She was the first female sportswriter at The New York Times, and continued competing and winning medals while working as a full-time reporter.
Maria Viktorovna Butyrskaya is a Russian retired figure skater. She is the 1999 World champion and a three-time European champion — becoming the oldest skater and the first Russian to win the World ladies' title and the oldest skater to win the European ladies' title. Butyrskaya placed fourth at the 1998 Winter Olympics and sixth at the 2002 Winter Olympics. She won the Russian national title six times.
Alexandra Pauline "Sasha" Cohen is a retired American figure skater. She is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World Championship medalist, the 2003 Grand Prix Final Champion, and the 2006 U.S. Champion. She is known for her artistry, flexibility and body lines, and musical interpretation. As of 2022, Cohen is the most recent American woman to medal individually in figure skating at the Olympics.
Yuka Sato is a Japanese former competitive figure skater and choreographer. She is the 1994 World champion, the 1990 World Junior champion and the 1993 & 1994 Japanese national champion. She placed 7th at the 1992 Winter Olympics and 5th at the 1994 Winter Olympics.
Karen Diane Magnussen, OC is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. She is the 1972 Olympic silver medallist and 1973 World champion. She was Canada's Female Athlete of the Year in 1971 and 1972, and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1973.
Francis M. "Frank" Carroll is an American figure-skating coach and former competitive skater. He has coached three skaters to win the World Figure Skating Championships: Linda Fratianne, Michelle Kwan and Evan Lysacek. Lysacek won the men's Olympic gold medal in 2010 at Vancouver.
Kimberly Claire Meissner is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2006 World champion, the 2007 Four Continents champion, and the 2007 U.S. national champion. She is the first American and the first woman to simultaneously hold the World, Four Continents, and national titles. In 2005, Meissner became the second American woman to land the triple Axel jump in national competition. She was the youngest American athlete to compete at the 2006 Olympics, coming in sixth place. She won the World Championships the following month, and the U.S. Nationals the following season. She was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2020.
Naomi Nari Nam is an American former competitive figure skater who competed in both single skating and pair skating. As a single skater, she was the 1999 U.S. national silver medalist. As a pair skater, she was the 2006 Skate America bronze medalist and 2007 U.S. national bronze medalist with Themistocles Leftheris.
Sjoukje Rosalinde Dijkstra is a Dutch former competitive figure skater. She is the 1964 Olympic champion in ladies' singles, the 1960 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World champion (1962–1964), five-time European champion (1960–1964), and the six-time Dutch national champion (1959–1964).
Rafael Arutyunyan is an Armenian-American figure skating coach. He has coached in Armenia, Russia and the United States.
Maribel Yerxa Owen was an American figure skater.
Peter Allen Oppegard is an American retired pair skater and coach. With his partner Jill Watson, he is the 1988 Olympic bronze medalist and a three-time U.S. national champion.
Ashley Elisabeth Wagner is an American former figure skater. She is the 2016 World silver medalist, a 2014 Olympic bronze medalist in the team event, the 2012 Four Continents champion, a three-time Grand Prix Final medalist, winner of five Grand Prix events, and a three-time U.S. national champion.
Sarah Kawahara is a Canadian figure skater and choreographer who has won two Emmy Awards.
Alexandria "Zsa Zsa" Riordan-Niechcielska is an American former figure skater. She most recently competed internationally on the Junior National level for Poland and won first place to get the Gold Medal. She is of Polish and Irish descent.
Chen Lu is a Chinese former figure skater. She is the 1994 and 1998 Olympic bronze medalist and the 1995 World Champion. Chen won the first ever Olympic medal in figure skating for China.
Alysa Liu is a retired American competitive figure skater. She is the 2022 World bronze medalist, the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy champion, the 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy champion, and a two-time U.S. national champion. At age 16, she competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics, placing seventh.