Who Knew?

Who can’t forget the controversy leading up to the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway? The entire world knew the names Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding, and the crowbar incident that rocked the world of sports.

But did you know that they were not the only Americans that competed in women’s figure skating at that event? The U.S. is able to send three competitors for this competition, and do you know who the forgotten competitor was at that event?

It was current figure skating great Michelle Kwan.

I bring this up because Michelle Kwan is preparing to compete in 58 days at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. This would mark her fourth Olympic appearance, something that isn’t seen very often in the sport of figure skating.

Kwan has two previous medals at the Olympics, but none of them gold. In the waning years of her career, a gold medal would just be the icing on the cake. (Yes cake, even though she’ll win a doughnut.)

I’m sure that nearly every American that tunes in to the Winter Olympics this February will be pulling for Michelle Kwan. But will they remember that she is also a footnote to the Kerrigan-Harding saga?