(I didn't see anyone post about this subject, therefore I do. )
I feel so so SAD for her. I LOVE Michelle KWAN.
Anyway, below is the article:
TORINO - For the past dozen years,
Michelle Kwan's name has been synonymous with the sport of figure skating. She won every competition imaginable, most of them many times over, except, of course, for the
Olympic Games, where the color of her medal somehow never quite turned to gold.
Throughout it all, she handled disappointment with grace, victory with humility. She never got in trouble, never said anything wrong. Unlike other multimillionaires, she didn't try to get away with saying she wasn't a role model, and in fact lived every moment of her life as if a child might be watching, trying to pick up pointers.
Along the way, she became the most visible skater of all time, coming of age as her sport exploded on television in the wake of the Tonya-Nancy saga. Her longevity was remarkable considering that her dominance occurred at the most turbulent time in the history of the sport. Little girls would come and go, but Kwan always remained, a model of constancy, always on the medal podium, always at the big events, always there, always.
For 12 years now, Kwan and her sport have been quite a team. But no more. Figure skating must now go solo. Michelle Kwan has withdrawn from the Olympic Games.
(Related gallery: Saturday's practice session )
This was not how Kwan wanted it all to end, if this in fact is the end of her competitive career, which certainly seems likely. It wasn't supposed to finish with her unable to hold back tears, physically unable to skate, finally betrayed by a body that for so many years performed beautifully while absorbing the impact of thousands of jumps on the unforgiving ice.
That Kwan made it to 25 before finally having to stop due to a recurring groin injury is another feather in a stuffed cap. Consider, for instance, that
Tara Lipinski, who defeated Kwan for the gold medal at the 1998 Olympics, underwent major hip surgery at 20 and no longer skates.
Kwan's career was always so perfectly choreographed, until now. If only it were as easy for a skater to figure out how to leave a sport as it has been for her to dominate it. In hindsight, knowing what the last 48 hours would bring - the re-injury, the uncertainty, the decision to withdraw, the sleepless night - Kwan never would have tried this, never would have come to the Games.
What a devastating moment for her: only four days after arriving in Italy, Kwan was out of the Olympics and planning a flight home.
The rest of the article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/200...rawsgracefully
