Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan reached astounding heights before
and after 1998 and has had quite a transformation over the years.
Her story is truly inspiring, so let's dig deeper into this athlete's career.
Michelle Kwan first won a skating competition at
seven years of age. Per ESPN, she began working with coach Frank Carroll in 1992
and competed at the junior level. When she was 12, she competed in the 1993 US
Figure Skating Championships at the senior level in Phoenix, Arizona, placing sixth overall.
"Michelle became the youngest senior performer
at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 20 years."
She also became the youngest to earn a figure skating gold medal at the Olympic Festival,
the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Kwan clearly loved skating and knows that it was a sacrifice
for her parents. She wrote in part on Instagram,
"When I reflect back on this time it makes me choke up a little — my parents struggling
to make ends meet and sacrificing everything to make their little girls dream come true.
I made it to nationals without a coach in both the regional and sectional competitions. There was no
way my family could afford the lessons, let alone pay for a coach to travel with me to events."
Michelle Kwan and her sister Karen trained in Lake Arrowhead at the prestigious Ice
Castle International Training Center. They trained on scholarship, and their parents had
Michelle study with private tutors rather than continue her public school education. In 1994,
13-year-old Michelle Kwan placed second at Nationals in Detroit,again
breaking a record at her age, and eighth at the World Championships.
Following the tragic attack on Nancy Kerrigan, Michelle Kwan could have taken
Tonya Harding's place on the US Olympic team if Harding hadn't been permitted to compete.
Kwan was ultimately an alternate at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway.
When Karen Kwan competed against Michelle in the 1995 women's singles, it marked the first
time for sisters to compete in that event since 1959, The Washington Post reported.
Karen Kwan was very logical about going up against her sister. She said at the time:
"I don't feel like I'm her competitor. I'm skating for myself and she is skating for herself."
"Who's the silliest?"
Michelle Kwan prepared diligently for the next Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
She won the US and World Figure Skating Championships in 1996.
"Yes, six judges to three. Michelle Kwan is the new world champion at the age of 15."
In 1997, Karen Kwan left competitive figure skating to focus on her Boston University studies,
the Chicago Tribune reported. Karen stayed at school as Michelle readied herself for the 1998
Olympic Games. It wasn't an easy road. Michelle had fractured one of her toes in 1997 and withdrew
from a Munich, Germany international competition after exacerbating the injury at Skate Canada.
Even so, she made it to the world stage at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano.
Kwan said on CNN's "People in the News,"
"I remember when I was in Japan, and the first time I stepped foot into the Olympic arena,
I skated over the sign that said 'Nagano, 1998 Olympics,'
and I had tears in my eyes just being at the Olympic building, being an Olympian."
Michelle Kwan took home the Olympic silver medal in '98 and kept striving for the gold.
Michelle Kwan didn't rest on her laurels after the Olympics — she continued her incredible streak as
the US Champion and earned the World title several more times. Michelle Kwan had become a real
celebrity and turned to television, signing a deal with Disney and appearing on series and specials.
She energized audiences at home in "Michelle Kwan Skates to Disney's Greatest Hits"
and voiced animated versions of herself on "Arthur" and "Family Guy."
These are just a few of the credits she garnered in between the 1998 and 2002 Olympics.
Kwan was an American favorite, selected for People's 50 Most Beautiful People 2000. She was
a spokesperson for Children's Miracle Network, the cover girl of many magazines, and even the star of
a computer game. Michelle Kwan managed to stay on top of her game and still attend movie premieres
and appear on television with a smile on her face. Kwan said on CNN's "People in the News,"
"It seems like in the last few years, I've experienced a lot and have grown up."
Michelle Kwan made the news for firing her coach
and her choreographer ahead of the 2002 Olympics. Kwan said:
"It must be earth-breaking news, but for me, at this moment, I think it's the right decision."
In a 2002 Olympics segment, she expanded on her decision to do this, saying:
"I've learned a lot since '98. If I had to do it all over, if I had the chance to,
I would. I did a clean short, clean long,
I just missed that spark. I didn't break out of the shell. I didn't go crazy ... you come
so close, and when you stand at the podium, it's like, 'God, there's one step higher than me.'"
Family support continued to bolster the 21-year-old skater,
who called her dad her "cheerleader" in the 2002 Olympics segment and wore
her good luck charm from her grandmother as she skated.
Despite the changes, Michelle Kwan left the Salt Lake City Olympics with bronze. She told the AP:
"It's a bummer, but it is competition. I just had to remind myself, 'It's okay. It's okay.'"
Following the 2002 Olympics, Michelle Kwan found herself juggling her love for skating
with her desire for more. She told the Chicago Tribune in 2004:
"I want to have a social life and go out all the time,
but I want to be able to wake up in the morning and train. It's very confusing. [...] What am I
fighting for? I've gone to Olympics twice. Ten world championships. I'm like,`What,
what's wrong with you? Just go out and enjoy life.' But this is what I enjoy."
"I just love skating. I love competing, I love being out there, I love intensity...just
the sport itself. It's great."
Michelle Kwan initially looked like she was as good as gold while she trained for
the 2006 Olympics with her new coach, Rafael Arutunian. But in an upsetting turn of events,
Kwan couldn't compete in the 2005-06 Grand Prix due to a hip issue. A groin injury followed,
and Kwan didn't compete for the gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
When she withdrew from the Turin Games, she said:
"I respect the Olympics too much to compete and I don't feel I can be at my best."
"It's one of the toughest decisions I've had to make, but I know it's the right one."
Michelle Kwan told US Figure Skating in 2021,
"After those 2006 Olympics, if I had been 22, then maybe I would have tried to make it to 2010.
But I was 26 and I had other interests,
like going back to school and pursuing a master's degree in foreign policy.
I had many chapters of my life ahead of me and it felt like it was time to turn the page."
That's precisely what she did. Michelle Kwan had already taken
classes at UCLA when she enrolled at the University of Denver in 2006.
It wasn't long before Kwan gained real-world experience in her field.
In 2006, she was appointed to the role of first U.S. Public Diplomacy
Envoy by Condoleezza Rice. The role took her around the world to open a, quote,
"cross-cultural dialogue with international youth."
"Trying to make a difference. Trying to make a connection with people all over the world."
Discussing her work as a public diplomacy envoy, Kwan told US Figure Skating:
"I discovered that diplomacy — finding common ground, helping people and countries come
together — was a real interest for me. And it makes sense, because where does the world come
together every two years? Where do 200 countries come together at one time? The Olympics! In many
ways, my Olympic and athletic background prepared me in my role as a diplomat."
In 2009, Michelle Kwan graduated from the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School
of International Studies with a bachelor's degree in international studies as well as
a political science minor. Kwan continued her academic path with a master's program
at the Tufts Fletcher School of Law and International Diplomacy.
Former President Barack Obama appointed Michelle Kwan to his Council on Fitness,
Sports and Nutrition in 2010. The same year, Michelle Kwan began working on the Special
Olympics International Board of Directors. The Special Olympics calls Michelle Kwan, quote,
"a lifelong supporter" of the organization, citing her advocacy and her regular attendance at events.
Kwan had reached the age of 30 with incredible achievements on and off the ice. Following her
graduation from Tufts in 2011, Michelle Kwan advanced in her diplomacy career with a post at
the Department of State as "a senior advisor for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs."
She also worked with Hillary Clinton as an advisor on the U.S.-China Women's Leadership
Exchange and Dialogue and joined Clinton's presidential campaign for the first time.
In 2012, Kwan was the only skater inducted into the US
Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
Along with the continuous positive developments in her life came a new relationship. Herbert
Claiborne Pell IV proposed to Michelle Kwan in September 2012 on Block Island,
according to People. Kwan married the former US Coast Guard Lieutenant in 2013.
Like Kwan, Pell was committed to politics. He was Deputy Assistant Secretary for
International and Foreign Language Education, strategic planning director
on the White House National Security staff, and a 2014 Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate.
Michelle Kwan became busy in Brooklyn, New York with her work on the next
Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. Kwan was a surrogate,
traveling to muster up celebrity support for her candidate. Kwan told Intelligencer:
"There's so much to do,
and it's overwhelming at times. But you just keep at it and you push through. It's exciting, too!"
Clay Pell and Michelle Kwan's marriage ended bitterly. Per Providence Journal,
Kwan learned of the divorce on Twitter! The couple parted due to irreconcilable differences,
and while Kwan was reticent about the split, Yahoo! News examined her positive
Instagram at the time. An April 2017 post read, "Hanging in there," as Kwan did aerial yoga.
With many changes swirling around her, it's no wonder that Michelle Kwan returned to one of her
greatest loves: figure skating. She shared her return to the ice with W magazine, explaining:
"I said, 'You know, I should do it before I’m 40.'
You don’t realize how quickly age crawls up to you."
Kwan embarked on another adventure before turning 40 in 2020. She worked
on the Biden presidential campaign as surrogate director beginning in 2019.
As COVID-19 developed in 2020, Michelle Kwan moved back to California and worked
hard from home. And we really mean hard. She told US Figure Skating:
"Working on a presidential campaign you keep a very crazy and hectic schedule. I started each
day at 6 a.m. [Pacific Time] on a call with our department and my emails wouldn't stop
until about 11 p.m. — and that's 2 a.m. on the East Coast where most of my colleagues lived."
After President Biden won the election, Michelle Kwan continued working with his administration.
The star skater was a Presidential Inauguration Committee senior talent advisor.
Michelle Kwan continues to fight for equality and works on several projects involving the
AAPI community. Kwan participated in the events #AAPI Women Strong and See Us Unite for Change.
She also co-executive produced a 2021 YouTube show called "Recipe for Change" and wrote on Twitter,
"I'm joined by powerful voices as we gather around the dinner
table to celebrate API culture and ignite change."
Michelle Kwan's transformation over the years has been extraordinary,
and it doesn't sound like she's slowing down anytime soon.
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