Michelle Kwan

American figure skater and diplomat

Michelle Kwan (born July 7, 1980) is a retired American figure skater and diplomat. She has won five world championships and nine U.S. championships. She has been the United States Ambassador to Belize since 2022.

Michelle Kwan
Kwan in 2022
United States Ambassador to Belize
Assumed office
December 5, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byLeyla Moses-Ones (Chargé d'Affaires ad interim)
Personal details
Born (1980-07-07) July 7, 1980 (age 43)
Torrance, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 2 in (157 cm)
Spouse(s)
Clay Pell
(m. 2013; div. 2017)
Children1
ResidenceCalifornia, U.S.
Michelle Kwan
Personal information
Country represented United States
Former coachRafael Arutyunyan
Frank Carroll
Scott Williams
Former choreographerTatiana Tarasova
Lori Nichol
Nikolai Morozov
Sarah Kawahara
Peter Oppegard
Karen Kwan
Christopher Dean
Skating clubLos Angeles FSC
Retired2006
ISU personal best scores
Combined total175.20
2005 Worlds
Short program61.22
2005 Worlds
Free skate113.98
2005 Worlds
Medal record
Ladies' singles figure skating
Representing the  United States
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 1 1
World Championships 5 3 1
Grand Prix Final 1 4 0
World Junior Championships 1 0 0
Total 7 8 2
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1998 Nagano Ladies' singles
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Salt Lake City Ladies' singles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1996 Edmonton Ladies' singles
Gold medal – first place 1998 Minneapolis Ladies' singles
Gold medal – first place 2000 Nice Ladies' singles
Gold medal – first place 2001 Vancouver Ladies' singles
Gold medal – first place 2003 Washington, D.C. Ladies' singles
Silver medal – second place 1997 Lausanne Ladies' singles
Silver medal – second place 1999 Helsinki Ladies' singles
Silver medal – second place 2002 Nagano Ladies' singles
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Dortmund Ladies' singles
Grand Prix Final
Gold medal – first place 1995–1996 Paris Ladies' singles
Silver medal – second place 1996–1997 Hamilton Ladies' singles
Silver medal – second place 1999–2000 Lyon Ladies' singles
Silver medal – second place 2000–2001 Tokyo Ladies' singles
Silver medal – second place 2001–2002 Kitchener Ladies' singles
Goodwill Games
Gold medal – first place 1998 New York City Ladies' singles
Silver medal – second place 1994 Saint Petersburg Ladies' singles
Silver medal – second place 2001 Brisbane Ladies' singles
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 1994 Colorado Springs Ladies' singles
Michelle Kwan
Traditional Chinese關穎珊[1]
Simplified Chinese关颖珊

Birth and childhood change

Michelle Kwan was born on July 7, 1980, in Torrance, California. Kwan showed interest in figure stating when she followed Ron and Karen, her brother and sister, onto the ice, saying that all she could remember was "every day, tying up my skates and a big smile on my face, excited to go on the ice".[2] She attended public school until eighth grade, when she began being homeschooled in 1994.[3]

Junior world champion change

Kwan won the world junior championship in 1994. The same year, at the age of 13, she came in the top 10 in the world senior championship. She became world champion in 1996, when she was 15.

Diplomatic career change

On December 15, 2021, President Joe Biden announced that he planned to nominate Kwan to be United States Ambassador to Belize.[4]

Olympics change

  • World Championships: first place in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003
  • Olympics: 1998 - silver; 2002 - bronze
  • U.S. Championships: first place in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

References change

  1. 關穎珊夫妻關係如雙人滑 幽默牧師逗翻全場(圖) (in Chinese). Sina Corp. January 20, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  2. "CNN Programs - People in the News". cnn.com. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  3. Brennan, Christine (1996). Inside Edge. New York: Scribner. ISBN 0-684-80167-1.
  4. "President Biden Announces Key Diplomatic and Agency Nominees". 15 December 2021.

Other websites change