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Hii!
for 24 years figure skating was a dying sport the last major win being a 2002-2006 in the us it was slowly fading away from a nation most notably the women's field
when we think about modern figure skating the two countries that have always dominated is japan and russia despite their dominance in the 1990s but why did it seem that there was a sudden slow death of figure skating in USA following the salt lake city 2002?
This is only an analysis of the women's field though pairs and ice dance are also suffering their own drought.
part 1: drought at a quick glance
(for the olympics NOT TEAM EVENT)
Olympics:
Last Win: Liu (2026)
Before Blade Angels: Sarah Hughes (2002)
Time: 24 years
FCC:
Last win: Isabeau Levito (2026)
Before Blade Angels: Polina Edmunds (2015)
Time: 11 years
Grand Prix:
Last win: Alysa Liu (2026) Amber Glenn (2025)
Before Blade Angels: Sasha Cohen (2002)
Time: 23 years
Worlds:
Last win: Alysa Liu (2026)
Before Blade Angels: Kimmie Meissner (2006)
Time: 20 years
part 2: Why
Turning on the Sochi Olympics they only had one thing in mind would or would not the us end the figure skating drought. . The only chance of that season to get gold in any major four was the Sochi Olympics not only was it about getting gold, it was also about reviving the sport and ending the gold drought in the USA. All eyes were on the team Ashley Wagner, Gracie Gold and Polina Edmunds.
In the end all of them had no medals, it had seemed after 2002-2006, figure skating women;s single collapse. they did wonderfully but the USA federation only cared about the medals: gold, sliver and bronze.
1956 to 2002 figure skating in the USA was storm, the list was stacked if you were team USA you had a chance in the podium names like Michelle Kwan, Kristi Yamaguchi, Sasha Cohen, Sarah Hughes, Peggy Flemming... they were names that every figure skating fan knew.
Then suddenly seemingly it just stopped.
There were many reasons why.
The rise of Russia: After the Sochi Olympics, they were unbeatable. They dominated every discipline and Tutberidze Sambo 70 club is leading it (we can't get a post without some mention of the Russians) In 3 Olympics from 2014-2022 all gold was to Russia (2014 is debatable). Adelina Sotnikova, Alina Zagitova, Anna Shcherbakova, that was a 12 year stalling which is a massive chunk out of the 24 year gold drought. They were also winning literally everything. If not at least podium, the rise of 3A, Alina and Evgenia winning streak...they surpassed the USA and the rest of the world in technical ability.
Mounting pressure: Ever since 2002 and 2006. Each time girls had the entire weight of the nation and the figure skating federation to get gold or at the very least podium. Since figure skating is a sport where skaters usually peak at 15-17, these were teenagers with pressure. This caused mental health crisis and burnouts, ultimately leaving the sport. Each year that went by without any major gold, everyone got increasingly desperate each time the pressure became worse and worse. Leading to mistakes, falls, stumbles, and ultimately tears. 2002-2026 was not a good place to be if you were into figure skating as an American fan.
Title IX: Title IX changed sports in America. Girls wanted to go to team sports like volleyball, basketball, soccer, tennis. Figure skating was a lonely sport.
The new judging system: Unlike Japan and Russia. The USA was less faster to adapt to this new system their changing of their programs and how they were constructed needed time in order to adjust, this obviously took time and that sent a chain of events that led to the gold medal drought. These chain of events was losing competitions, people losing interests, mounting pressure on figure skaters to end this drought naturally losing due to the pressure and the cycle again and again.
Lack of motivation: Like Yulia Lipniskaya who single handedly started the boom of girls enrolling in figure skating schools. The drought also single handedly ended the boom of girls enrolling in figure skating schools. The evidence was clear, USA figure skating was failing and figure skating usually started early if you wanted to mark your name on the history there was a risk of removing a childhood, and that was a risk parents weren't willing to take. 24 years of a drought was too damning to ignore.
"American parents might be reluctant to accept that their child is going to give up their life at 5, 6, 7 for something we don't know if it's going to pay off or not." -Ashley Wagner
Part 3: Ending the drought
The Historic Gold: After finishing 6th in the Beijing Games in 2022, she quitted the sport. Then after stepping away from figure skating finding her own self. At 2024-2025 she returned to competition and won the 2025 world championships. THEN she won Olympic gold ending the 24 year drought leaving the winter games with not just the individual but also the team event.
The Blade Angles Influence: Isabeau Levito, Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu were a trio for the women's events. They were strong contenders with ultra c elements and depth. This broke the mold of the ice princess, making more new skaters. They won worlds, fcc, grand prix and also the Olympics, not just ending the drought in the Winter Games but also the major 4 competitions. They were authentic and they had the depth, consistency and the mentality to win.
Tyy for reading!!


















