Figure skating is an intriguing sport and is a sport which has gathered crowds since earlier times. It requires exceptional competence from its athletes and is a highly demanding sport which needs you to dedicate your full time to your fitness to be able to compete on the highest level.
It is a sport which requires its athletes to perform figure skating on a field made of ice rink, and for this reason, it has great historical significance in the Olympics. This was the sport to be introduced first when the winter Olympics were announced. In this article, we’ll try to know more about the sport and its history by mentioning the greatest female figure skaters of all time. It has four parts to the sport, which include men’s skating, women’s skating, pair skating and ice dancing. Now, let’s start with the list.
10. Janet Lynn
To start off our list, Janet Lynn is the perfect choice and it is unanimous with the fans as she is one of the greatest female figure skaters in history, and her achievements serve as a testament to this statement.
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Her glittering cabinet boasts of an Olympic bronze and gold and silver medals at the world championships. She left behind a legacy when she fell during the 1972 Sapporo Games but did not fail to provide a vibrant smile.
9. Midori Ito
This athlete from Japan has left her own legacy as one of the greatest female figure skaters to enter the field. Her biggest achievements on paper are the 1989 world championship victory and the silver medal in the 1992 Olympics. But, despite achieving so much, she is mostly remembered for something unprecedented that she did in her earlier days.
She landed a triple combination for the first time, as she did with the triple axle. What makes it more legendary is that she did both in a global competition (the Olympics). Her place is definitely justified as one of the greats.
8. Kristi Yamaguchi
She is one of the greatest female figure skaters of all time and has her name inducted in the Olympic Hall of Fame. Kristi was the one to stop Midori’s run at the 1992 Olympics and won the gold medal defeating her. She won two other world championships and was the 1992 United States champion. She did enough to be on this list.
7. Tara Lipinski
Solidifying her position as one of the greatest female figure skaters at number 7, we have Tara Lipinski. She is from the United States and the youngest to win a gold medal at the Olympics for female figure skating. Two grand prix championships and a US championship win cement her position among the greats, and her winning the World figure skating championship ensures that no one can better her.
6. Michelle Kwan
Justifying her position in the list is Michelle Kwan, sitting comfortably at the number six spot. She is one of the greatest female figure skaters of all time, and she could’ve easily found herself higher on this list if she had won an Olympic gold medal.
Her other accolades make up for it, and everybody agrees. To name some of her tremendous achievements, she has won both the silver and bronze medals atthe Olympics and has won 5 world championships. She holds the record for winning the US championship 9 times!
5. Peggy Fleming
She grabs this spot due to her artistry on the pitch and her mesmerising skills and mastery of her sport. She became an icon, someone to look up to when you dream. Other than that, she has won a gold medal at the Olympics and the world championships three times. These are no easy feats. These accolades definitely elevate her above the rest and make sure she is regarded as one of the greatest female figure skaters.
4. Okasana baiul
From here on, the list gets very tight and closely competed for, as all the athletes here have had an unreal influence on the greatest careers. Oksana represented her nation, Ukraine and made history for the nation when she won the gold medal at the Olympics.
She was the first representative of free Ukraine to do so! On top of that, she won the first world championship that she participated in, which happened to be in 1993. Her movements had a slight hint of ballet in the way she moved her body. This makes her a worthy member of this list containing the greatest female figure skaters.
3. Carol Heiss
Here it is! The top three! Carol Heiss is one of the top three greatest female figure skaters of all time. Even before being a skater, she was an actress, and this helped her provide tantalising expressions which won over the audience. Other than being a five-time world champion, she was the first to do a double axle in an Olympic.
This record would eventually be broken by Midori Ho in the 1992 Olympics after having held the record for more than three decades. She has won a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics and a silver medal in the preceding one.
2. Katarina Witt
This German athlete is a tough competitor for the top spot of the greatest female figure skaters. She has won two Olympic gold medals, the first time in this list and has two world championships under her name; could’ve been two more, but she finished second in those. She has won six European championships, equaling the record in the top spot. She has every right to be in this second spot. Some could even argue for her for the first spot.
1- Sonja Henie
This Norwegian female figure skater has broken all records of greatness. Her incredible feats include winning three Olympic gold medals, which is done by none other than her. The most impressive part is that she won these consecutively. She won ten world championships and six European championships consecutively, too.
These are records held by her that no one comes close to. Besides being the greatest female figure skaters of all time, she also holds her own in the hottest female skaters of all time list too.
