Ariane 4

The 52nd Ariane 4 carrying TOPEX/Poseidon
Function	Expendable launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Arianespace
Country of origin	Europe
Size
Height	58.72 m (192.7 ft)
Diameter	3.8 m (12.5 ft)
Mass	240,000 - 470,000 kg (529,110 - 1,036,175 lb)
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to LEO	5,000 - 7,600 kg (11,024 - 16,756 lb)
Payload to GTO	2,000 - 4,300 kg (4,410 - 9480 lb)
Launch history
Status	Retired
Launch sites	Kourou ELA-2
Total launches	116 (40: 7, 42P: 15, 42L: 13) (44P: 15, 44LP: 26, 44L: 40)
Successes	113 (40: 7, 42P: 14, 42L: 13) (44P: 15, 44LP: 25, 44L: 39)
Failures	3 (42P: 1, 44L: 1, 44LP: 1)
Maiden flight	40: 22 January 1990 42P: 20 November 1990 42L: 12 May 1993 44P: 4 April 1991 44LP: 15 June 1988 44L: 5 June 1989
Last flight	40: 3 December 1999 42P: 4 May 2002 42L: 23 January 2002 44P: 25 September 2001 44LP: 27 November 2001 44L: 15 February 2003
Boosters (Ariane 42L, 44LP or 44L) - PAL
No boosters	0, 2 or 4
Engines	Viking 6
Thrust	752.003 kN (169,057 lbf)
Specific impulse	278 sec
Burn time	142 seconds
Fuel	N2O4/UDMH
Boosters (Ariane 42P, 44LP or 44P) - PAP
No boosters	0, 2 or 4
Engines
Thrust	650 kN
Burn time	33 sec
Fuel	CTPB 1613
First Stage - L220
Engines	4 Viking 5C
Thrust	3,034.1 kN
Specific impulse	278 sec
Burn time	205 sec
Fuel	N2O4/UDMH
Second Stage - L33
Engines	1 Viking 4B
Thrust	720.965 kN
Specific impulse	296 sec
Burn time	132 seconds
Fuel	N2O4/UDMH
Third Stage - H10
Engines	1 HM7-B
Thrust	62.703 kN
Specific impulse	446 sec
Burn time	759 seconds
Fuel	Lox/LH2

Ariane 4 was an expendable launch system, designed by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales and manufactured and marketed by its subsidiary Arianespace. Ariane 4 was justly known as the ‘workhorse’ of the Ariane family. Since its first flight on 15 June 1988 until the last, on 15 February 2003, it made 113 successful launches. It was known to be an extremely versatile launcher.^{[not verified in body]}

The Ariane 4 proved ideal for launching communications and Earth observation satellites as well as those for scientific research. During its working life, Ariane 4 captured 50% of the market in launching commercial satellites, demonstrating Europe's ability to compete in the commercial launch sector.^[1]

History[link]

In 1973 eleven countries, called together by the European Space Agency (ESA), decided to take Europe down its own path in the space field: and so the Ariane programme was born.^{[citation needed]} Six years later in 1979, Ariane 1 was launched from Kourou. Following development work on variants 1, 2 and 3, Ariane 4 was able to draw on the experience gained from these earlier variants.

The development program began in 1983 and the first successful launch was on 15 June 1988. The system became the basis for a European satellite launches with a record of 113 successful and three launch failures. Ariane 4 provided a payload increase from 1700 kg for Ariane 3 to a maximum of 4800 kg to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). The record for Ariane 4 to GTO was 4946 kg.^[2]

The Ariane 4 Launch Team was awarded the Space Achievement Award^[3] by the Space Foundation in 2004.

Vehicle Description[link]

The Ariane 4 was the ultimate development from the Ariane 1,2,3. Compared with the Ariane 2/3, the Ariane 4 featured stretched first (61%) and third stages, a strengthened structure, new propulsion bay layouts, new avionics, and the SPELDA (Structure Porteuse Externe de Lancement Double Ariane) dual-payload carrier. The basic 40 version used no strap-on motors, while the Ariane 42L, 44L, 42P, 44P, and 44LP versions used various combinations of solid and liquid propellant strap-on motors. Development was authorised in January 1982, with the objective of increasing payload by 90%. Total development cost 476 million 1986 ECU's.^[4]

Originally designed to place 2-4.2 tonne payloads in geostationary orbit, the six Ariane 4 variants, aided by strap-on boosters, enabled the launch of payloads in excess of 4.9 tonnes on several occasions.^{[citation needed]}

Variants[link]

The rocket was used in a number of variants - it could be fitted with two or four additional solid (PAP - Propulseurs d'Appoint à Poudre) or liquid fueled booster rockets (PAL - Propulseurs d'Appoint à Liquide). The launcher included a satellite payload carrier system called Spelda (Structure Porteuse Externe de Lancement Double Ariane, French for 'External carrying structure for Ariane double launches') for launching more than one satellite at a time. The rocket captured nearly 60% of the world’s commercial launch services market, serving both European and international clients.^[5]

Ariane 4 AR 40 was the basic version, with three stages: 58.4 m high, a diameter of 3.8 m, a liftoff mass of 245 t and a maximum payload of 2100 kg to GTO or 5000 kg to Low Earth orbit (LEO). Main power was from four Viking 2B motors each producing 667 kN of thrust. The second stage had a single Viking 4B motor, and the third stage had an HM7-B liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen motor. AR 44L, with the maximum additional boost of four liquid fuel rocket strap-ons, was four-stage, weighed 470 t and could transfer a payload of 4730 kg to GTO or 7600 kg to LEO.

Launches[link]

The inaugural flight of Ariane 4 took place in 1988. Since then has accomplished 116 flights with a success rate of more than 97%. The final launch of Ariane 4 rocket occurred on 15 February 2003, placing Intelsat 907 into geosynchronous orbit.^{[citation needed]}

Retirement[link]

Ariane 4 was phased out in favour of Ariane 5 and, eight years later, the Soyuz ST. Spacecraft launched by the Soyuz reuse the payload platform and dispenser originally designed for the Ariane.^[6]

Comparable Rockets[link]

• Delta II
• GSLV
• Long March 2
• Soyuz-U

See also[link]

• Comparison of orbital launchers families

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ariane 4

• Ariane 4 launchers
• Ariane 4
• A cutaway drawing of the Ariane 4

v t e Ariane rockets Main articles Ariane family Arianespace Aérospatiale EADS Snecma European Space Agency Rockets Ariane 1 Ariane 2 Ariane 3 Ariane 4 Ariane 5 Launch site Kourou/CSG ELA-1 ELA-2 ELA-3 Engines Aestus HM7B Viking Vinci Vulcain Launches 1979-1989 1990-1999 2000-2009 2010-2019 Related Europa Vega Ariane 5 Flight 501 Automated Transfer Vehicle Hermes

v t e Expendable launch systems Current Spaceflight portal Ariane 5 Atlas V Delta II IV Dnepr-1 GSLV H-IIA H-IIB Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos-3M Long March 1D 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B 3C 4B 4C Minotaur I IV Naro-1 Paektusan Pegasus Proton-M PSLV Rokot Safir Shavit Shtil' Start-1 Strela Soyuz U FG 2 Taurus Tsyklon-2 Unha Vega VLS-1 Volna Zenit 2 2M 3SL 3SLB 3F Planned Angara Antares Athena Ic IIc Ausroc IV Epsilon GSLV III Haas Long March 5 6 7 Minotaur V Naro-2 Rocket Lab RPS (420, 550) Simorgh SLS Southern Cross Soyuz-2-1v SPARK Tsyklon-4 VLM VLS-Alfa VLS-Beta Previous Ariane 1 2 3 4 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 III Diamant Energia Europa Falcon 1‡ Feng Bao 1 H-I H-II J-I Juno I Juno II Kosmos 1 2I 3 Lambda 4S Long March 1 2A 2E 3 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V) N1 N-I N-II Pilot Proton UR-500 K R-7 Luna Molniya M Polyot Soyuz L M U2 Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M Saturn I IB V INT-21 Scout SLV Sparta Thor Able Ablestar Agena Burner Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon 3 Vanguard ‡ – Falcon 1 was designed for partial reuse. However, recovery failed on the first three flights and the remaining vehicles were flown expendably.

Look up Ariane in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Ariane is a feminine name. It is a French translation of the Greek name Ariadne. It may refer to:

People[link]

• Princess Ariane of the Netherlands (born 2007)
• Ariane (author), Twentieth-century children's-book author
• Ariane Ascaride (born 1954), French actress and screenwriter
• Louise Bourgoin (born 1981), birth name Ariane Bourgoin, French actress
• Ariane Ehrat (born 1961), Swiss alpine skier
• Ariane Friedrich (born 1984), German high jumper
• Ariane Hingst (born 1979), German football player
• Ariane Koizumi (born 1963), model and actress
• Ariane Mnouchkine (born 1939), French stage director
• Ariane Moffatt (born 1979), Québécois singer-songwriter
• Ariane Schluter (born 1966), Dutch actress
• Ariane Sherine (born 1980), British comedy writer and journalist

In the arts[link]

• Ariane (Martinů), an opera by Bohuslav Martinů
• Ariane (Massenet), an opera by Jules Massenet
• Ariane, the lead female character in Ariane et Barbe-bleue, an opera by Paul Dukas
• Ariane, the lead female character in Love in the Afternoon (1957 film)
• Ariane, a play by Thomas Corneille
• Ariane (film), a 1931 German film directed by Paul Czinner

Outer space[link]

• First European rocket
• Ariane (rocket family), a family of European rockets operated by Arianespace
• Ariane M, a proposed expendable launch system
• Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment, an Indian experimental communication satellite
• 1225 Ariane, an asteroid

Automobiles[link]

• Simca Ariane, a large saloon car manufactured by French automaker Simca
• Ariane (automobile), a two-seater French car manufactured in 1907

Other uses[link]

• Ariana, Greek Αρειανή or Arianē, a region of the eastern countries of ancient Iran
• Ariane Films, a French film production company
• Tour Ariane, an office building west of Paris

See also[link]

• Ariadne

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.

Goa Gil

The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. Please help to establish notability by adding reliable, secondary sources about the topic. If notability cannot be established, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted. (March 2009)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009)

Goa Gil (Gilbert Levey) is an American-born musician, DJ and party organizer. He is one of the founders of the goa trance and psytrance movement in electronic dance music.

Biography[link]

Gil was born in 1951 and grew up in San Francisco, California. He witnessed the birth of the hippie movement and acid rock, and was involved with the freak collectives Family Dog and Sons of Champlin. Feeling that the San Francisco musical scene was falling apart, he took off in 1969, going first to Amsterdam and then to India, settling in Goa. Here he discovered the sadhus, wandering holy men living off the forest, covering themselves with ash, and drinking the "elixir of the gods." Soon, Gil himself became a Sadhu, Baba Mangalanand, in the order of the Juna Akhara, under the Guru, Mahant Nirmalanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj.

During the early 1980s, many Goa hippies were becoming increasingly fascinated with early electronic music such as Kraftwerk. Gil and his friends soon gathered some equipment and started DJing and playing live music all night long on the Goa beaches. The mix of outdoor electronic dance parties with Eastern mystical and spiritual overtones came to define the aesthetic of the psytrance movement. For Gil, dance is an active form of meditation and the use of trance music is a way to "redefine the ancient tribal ritual for the 21st century".^[1] During the 1990s, the aesthetic of the Goa trance movement spread by way of European and Israeli backpackers who attended parties in India.

Gil is married to Ariane MacAvoy. Together they formed the band "the Nommos".

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Michelle Kwan
Michelle Kwan performs her signature spiral at a practice session at the 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Personal information
Full name	Michelle Wingshan Kwan
Country represented	United States
Born	(1980-07-07) July 7, 1980 (age 31)
Residence	Torrance, California
Height	5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Former coach	Rafael Arutunian, Frank Carroll, Scott Williams
Former choreographer	Tatiana Tarasova, Lori Nichol, Nikolai Morozov, Sarah Kawahara, Peter Oppegard, Karen Kwan, Christopher Dean
Skating club	Los Angeles FSC
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	175.20 2005 Worlds
Short program	61.22 2005 Worlds
Free skate	113.98 2005 Worlds
Medal record Competitor for the  United States Ladies' Figure skating Olympic Games Silver 1998 Nagano Ladies' singles Bronze 2002 Salt Lake City Ladies' singles World Championships Gold 1996 Edmonton Ladies' singles Gold 1998 Minneapolis Ladies' singles Gold 2000 Nice Ladies' singles Gold 2001 Vancouver Ladies' singles Gold 2003 Washington, D.C. Ladies' singles Silver 1997 Lausanne Ladies' singles Silver 1999 Helsinki Ladies' singles Silver 2002 Nagano Ladies' singles Bronze 2004 Dortmund Ladies' singles Grand Prix Final Gold 1995–1996 Paris Ladies' singles Silver 1996–1997 Hamilton Ladies' singles Silver 1999–2000 Lyon Ladies' singles Silver 2000–2001 Tokyo Ladies' singles Silver 2001–2002 Kitchener Ladies' singles World Junior Championships Gold 1994 Colorado Springs Ladies' singles

Michelle Wingshan Kwan^[1] (born July 7, 1980) is an American figure skater. She is a two-time (1998 and 2002) Olympic medalist, a five-time (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003) World champion (a record bettered only by Sonja Henie among ladies skaters) and a nine-time (1996, 1998–2005) U.S. champion (the all-time record, as tied with Maribel Vinson-Owen).

She competed at a high level for over a decade and is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history.^[2] Known for her consistency and expressive artistry on ice, she is widely considered one of the greatest figure skaters of all time.^[3][4][5]

For well over a decade, Kwan maintained her status not only as America's most popular figure skater but as one of America's most popular female athletes, consistently making the top ten on many such polls and lists (often as the only figure skater) even years after she had stopped competing.^[6] During the decade of her reign Kwan enjoyed unprecedented popularity and amassed numerous multi-million dollar endorsement deals, starred in multiple TV specials and was the subject of extensive media coverage.^[7]

Personal life[link]

Born in Torrance, California, Kwan is the third child of Danny Kwan and Estella Kwan, Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong. As a child, Kwan grew up speaking a mixture of Cantonese and English at home. Kwan’s interest in figure skating began at the age of five when she followed her two older siblings (hockey player Ron and figure skater Karen) onto the ice. Karen and Michelle began serious training when Michelle was about eight years old. They practiced three to four hours a day, waking up at 3 am to skate before school and going back to the rink right after school to skate again. Paying for their increased skating-rink time led to financial hardship for Kwan’s working class family. When Kwan was ten years old, her family could no longer afford a coach, but they were offered financial assistance by a fellow member of the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club^[8][9] that allowed them to train at the Ice Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead, California.

Kwan attended Soleado Elementary School in Palos Verdes, California, but left public school to be homeschooled in 1994, when she was in the 8th grade.^[10] After graduation from Rim of the World High School in 1998, she attended UCLA for one year. In the fall of 2006, she transferred to the University of Denver.^[11] In June 2009, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in international studies and a minor in political science.^[12] In 2009, she began graduate studies in international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University^[13] and graduated in 2011.^[14][15] On May 8, 2010, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Southern Vermont College.

Public life[link]

Ambassadorship endeavors[link]

On November 9, 2006, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named Michelle Kwan as a public diplomacy ambassador. In this non-salaried position, Kwan will represent American values especially to young people and sports enthusiasts and was expected to travel widely.^[16] Kwan made her first overseas trip in the capacity of public diplomacy ambassador with a visit to China from January 17–25, 2007.

Her diplomatic position as an envoy has continued in the Barack Obama administration where she has worked with Vice President Joe Biden^[17] and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.^[18]

Between 9–15 January 2011, she traveled to Singapore on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.^[19][20]

On April 15, 2011, it was announced that Kwan would serve as an adviser to U.S.-China Women's Leadership Exchange and Dialogue (Women-LEAD).^[21]

Filmography[link]

Kwan has guest starred as herself in "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass", an episode of The Simpsons, and in the Family Guy episode "A Hero Sits Next Door". She has also made guest star appearances in the children's cartoon television series Arthur the PBS Series, and has also appeared in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. She provided the voice of a shopkeeper in Disney's direct-to-DVD sequel Mulan II, and she and fellow figure skater Brian Boitano appeared as announcers in the film Ice Princess. She has performed in numerous figure skating programs, and has cameo appearances in various other television series. In 1999, she appeared in the Michelle Kwan Figure Skating computer game.^[22]

Other activities[link]

Kwan wrote an inspirational book for children titled, The Winning Attitude: What it Takes to be a Champion. She also wrote an autobiography, Heart of a Champion, at 17.

In 2005, Michelle Kwan's family opened the EastWest Ice Palace in Artesia, California. The ice rink houses many of her skating medals and memorabilia.^[23]

Kwan has had numerous endorsement contracts and has appeared in television commercials for sponsors including Campbell's Soup, VISA, Coca-Cola, and Kraft.^[24] The Chevrolet/Michelle Kwan R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Scholarship program was established by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors in cooperation with Kwan.^[25] In February 2006, Kwan was named a "celebrity representative" for The Walt Disney Company.^[26]

Competitive biography[link]

Summary[link]

Kwan has won five World Championships (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003), the most by anyone in the ladies' division since Carol Heiss (1956–1960), with whom she is tied for the most wins by an American.^{[citation needed]} She has won nine United States Figure Skating Championships (1996, 1998–2005), tying the record for most set by Maribel Vinson-Owen (1928–1933, 1935–1937). Kwan's eight consecutive U.S. Championship titles (1998–2005) and 12 consecutive U.S. Championship medals (1994–2005) are both U.S. records. She is the only woman in figure skating history to reclaim the World title three times (1998, 2000, 2003).^[2] She also won a silver medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and a bronze medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Among her many accolades, Kwan is a recipient of the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award, which is given to America's best amateur athlete; she was the first figure skater to win the award since Dick Button won it in 1949. Kwan has received a combined total of 57 6.0s (perfect scores) from her National and World competitions throughout the years. At the U.S. Championships alone, she holds the record for most 6.0s. Because figure skating is no longer scored on a 6.0 scale, Kwan's records will stand indefinitely.^[27]

Early competition[link]

In 1991, Michelle and her sister Karen began training with Frank Carroll. After one year of coaching by Carroll, 11-year old Michelle placed 9th at the junior level at the United States Figure Skating Championships. At the age of 12 in 1992, Kwan passed the gold test to become a senior-level figure skater despite the disapproval of her coach. In 1993, Kwan finished sixth at her first senior U.S. championships. The next season, she won the 1994 World Junior Championships.

In 1994, Kwan finished second to Tonya Harding at the U.S. Championships, which ordinarily would have earned her a spot on the U.S. team to the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. That place was instead given to 1993 national champion Nancy Kerrigan, who had been sidelined by an assault and battery (eventually connected to Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly) after a practice session at those championships. The 13-year-old Kwan went to Norway as an alternate but did not compete. Kerrigan and Harding both dropped out of eligible competition before the 1994 World Championships. Because of this (and teammate Nicole Bobek not making out of the qualifying round), Kwan had the sole responsibility to ensure two spots for the U.S. at the 1994 World Championships by placing in the top ten. Kwan had an unusual mistake in the short program and placed eleventh in that portion, but came back strong to finish eighth overall.

At the 1995 U.S. Championships, Nicole Bobek won the gold medal, while Kwan again placed second after struggling with her lutz jump in both the short program and free skate. At the 1995 World Championships, she placed fifth in the short program portion of the competition with a clean performance. She landed 7 triple jumps in her free skating performance and placed third in that portion of the competition. She finished fourth overall.

Artistic development and 1998 Olympics[link]

Following 1995, Kwan developed a more mature style. Her new, more artistically expressive programs were "Romanza" (short program) and "Salome" (free skate). She also improved her speed and her jump technique, and performed more difficult choreography. In 1996, Kwan won both the U.S. Championships and the World Championships. In the latter event, she edged out defending champion Chen Lu in a very close competition in which both competitors garnered two perfect 6.0s for Presentation in the free skate.

In the 1996–97 season, Kwan skated to "Dream of Desdemona" (short program) and "Taj Mahal" (free skate). It was during this year that Kwan debuted a change-of-edge spiral, which is still considered her signature move. However, in this season, Kwan struggled with her jumps because of a growth spurt and problems with new skating boots which she wore for an endorsement contract with the manufacturer.^[28] She fell twice and stumbled once in her free skate at 1997 U.S. Nationals, losing the title to Tara Lipinski. She lost the Champion Series Final to Lipinski a month later. At the World Championships, Kwan stepped out of her triple lutz combination and placed 4th in the Short Program portion of the competition behind Lipinski, France's Vanessa Gusmeroli, and Russia's Maria Butyrskaya. During the Free Skate, Kwan skated a six triple, mistake-free performance to win that part of the competition, but placed second to Lipinski overall.

Kwan started out the 1997–1998 Olympic season by winning Skate America (where she defeated Tara Lipinski) and then Skate Canada. However, she suffered a stress fracture on her foot and was forced to withdraw from her third Champions Series Final. Kwan regained her U.S. title from Lipinski at the 1998 National Championships, in spite of competing with a toe injury. Many people consider her performances of her Rachmaninoff short program and free skate set to William Alwyn's "Lyra Angelica" at the 1998 U.S. Championships to be the high point of her career from both a technical and artistic standpoint.^[29] The performance earned her eight perfect 6.0s and left one judge in tears.^[30]

Kwan and Lipinski were the co-favorites to win the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. Kwan placed first in the Short Program portion of the competition, winning eight first place votes out of nine judges. In the Free Skate, Kwan skated a 7-triple performance but placed behind Lipinski, who also did 7 triples including a triple loop/triple loop combination and a triple toe-loop/half-loop/Triple Salchow. Kwan ended up winning the silver medal, with the gold medal being won by Lipinski and the bronze medal by Chen Lu.^[31]

Lipinski and Chen both retired from competitive skating shortly after the Olympics, while Kwan went on to win the 1998 World Championships in Minneapolis.

From 1998 to 2002 Olympics[link]

Kwan competes her Scheherazade long program at the 2001-2002 Grand Prix Final.

Kwan continued to compete as an eligible skater in the 1998–99 season, although she bypassed the fall Grand Prix season and instead chose to skate in a series of made-for-television pro-am events. Her "regular" competitive programs that season were "Fate of Carmen" (short program) and "Lamento D'Ariane" (free skate). Kwan won her third national title at the 1999 U.S. Championships, competing against a weak field. At the 1999 World Championships, Kwan did not skate her best,^[32] and placed second behind Russian competitor Maria Butyrskaya.^[33]

Kwan's win at the 2000 U.S. Nationals was controversial to some.^[34] She was criticized for planning an easier jump in her short program than her competitors (a triple toe loop rather than a triple flip), and fell on this element in the competition. The judges nevertheless placed her third in that segment behind younger challengers Sasha Cohen and Sarah Hughes;^[35] however, the placement still kept her in contention for the title. Ultimately, she won the free skate with the best performance of the night, capturing 8 of the 9 first-place ordinals.^[36][37] At the 2000 World Championships, Kwan was again in third place after the short program, behind Maria Butyrskaya and Irina Slutskaya. In her free skate, Kwan landed seven triple jumps, including a triple toe loop/triple toe loop combination, and won that segment of the competition. Butyrskaya lost her commanding lead by finishing third behind Slutskaya in the free skate, allowing Kwan to win the overall title as well.^[38]

In 2001, Kwan again won the U.S. Championships, receiving first-place ordinals from all 9 judges in both the short program and free skate. At the 2001 World Championships, Kwan was second behind Slutskaya in the short program. Kwan won the title with her "Song of the Black Swan" free skate, executing 7 triples, including a triple toe loop/triple toe loop combination.^[39]

In the fall of 2001, Kwan and Carroll decided to end their coaching relationship. In interviews, Kwan said she needed to "take responsibility" for her skating.^[40] Coachless, Kwan arrived at the 2002 U.S. Championships in Los Angeles amid the media's scrutiny over her separation with Carroll and her season's inconsistencies. Kwan won the competition with a revived "Rachmaninoff" short program and a new "Scheherazade" program for her free skate, securing a place on the 2002 Olympic team. Joining her on the team were Sasha Cohen (second) and Sarah Hughes (third).^[41] The 21-year-old Kwan and Russia's Irina Slutskaya were favorites to win the gold. Kwan led after the short program, followed by Slutskaya, Cohen, and Hughes. In the free skate, Kwan two-footed her triple toe loop combination and put a hand down on her triple flip, while Sarah Hughes skated a clean program. Kwan won the bronze medal behind Hughes and Slutskaya.^[42] Kwan's final event of the season was the 2002 Worlds, where she won the silver medal behind Slutskaya.

2002–2006[link]

Michelle Kwan skating to Fallin' in the 2004 World Figure Skating Championships Exhibition in Dortmund, Germany

Following the 2002 season, Kwan continued to compete on the Olympic-eligible circuit, although in a more limited way. During the fall seasons of 2002 to 2004, Kwan competed in only one Grand Prix event, Skate America in the fall of 2002, which she entered as a last-minute replacement. She won the event and qualified for the Grand Prix Final but chose not to compete in it. Kwan chose to not compete in Grand Prix events in the 2003 and 2004 seasons where the new judging system was being used.

Coached by Scott Williams, Kwan won all phases of every competition she entered in the 2002–2003 competitive season with her programs: Peter Gabriel's "The Feeling Begins" from The Last Temptation of Christ (short program) and "Concierto de Aranjuez" (free skate). She won the U.S. Championships again and regained her World title.

In 2003, she hired noted technician Rafael Arutunian as her coach, with whom she attempted to increase the technical difficulty of her programs. In the 2003–2004 competitive season, she skated again to "The Feeling Begins" for her short program, and Puccini's "Tosca" for her long program.

Again, Kwan won the U.S. Championships (where the old 6.0 system was still being used), earning 7 more 6.0s for presentation in the Free Skate. At the 2004 World Championships, after a difficult qualifying round, Kwan was penalized in her short program for going two seconds over time which caused her to placed 4th going into the Long Program behind American Sasha Cohen, Japan's Shizuka Arakawa, and Miki Ando.^[43] As she was about to start her free skate, there was a disruption caused by a spectator entering the ice surface and being removed by security staff. In the end, Kwan skated an inspired, if conservative, 5 triple performance and received the last 6.0 marks given at the World Championships. She placed second in the Free Skating portion (she was one judge away from winning the long program) and placed third overall at the championships behind Arakawa (who performed 7 triples including two triple-triple combinations) and Cohen.

For the 2004–2005 competitive season, Kwan skated her long program to "Boléro", choreographed by British ice dancer Christopher Dean who had famously skated to the music with Jayne Torvill two decades before, and debuted a new short program, "Adagio" from Aram Khachaturian's ballet Spartacus. At the U.S. Championships, she won her 9th title, tying the all-time record previously set by Maribel Vinson-Owen. Interestingly, Vinson-Owen had coached Frank Carroll, who in turn coached Kwan. At the 2005 World Championship, Kwan competed for the first time under the new judging system. She had a rough qualifying round and placed third in the short program. In the free skate, Kwan fell on her triple salchow and two-footed a triple lutz. Although she finished third in both the short and long program portion of the competition, Kwan was edged by Carolina Kostner for the bronze medal and finished fourth overall, missing third place by 0.37 points. It was the first time since 1995 that Kwan had failed to medal at any international competition, and would be her final competitive event.

2006 Olympics[link]

Kwan looked at the 2005 Worlds as a learning experience in the ISU Judging System.^{[citation needed]} She continued to train and stated that she would attempt to qualify for the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.^[44] However, following a hip injury, she was forced to withdraw from her three planned competitions in the fall of 2005. Kwan skated her new short program ("Totentanz") at a made-for-TV event in December, 2005, but her performance was well below her usual standard. On January 4, 2006, Kwan withdrew from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships with an abdominal injury incurred in December 2005. One week later, she filed a petition with the USFSA for a medical waiver to be placed on the 2006 Olympic figure skating team.^[44] On January 14, 2006, after the United States ladies' figure skating event, the USFSA's International Committee met and in a 20 to 3 vote approved Kwan's petition under the stipulation that she show her physical and competitive readiness to a five-member monitoring panel by January 27.

Kwan performed her long and short programs for the panel on the stipulated day, and her spot on the Olympic team was established, as the panel felt she was fit to compete. However, on February 12, 2006, the United States Olympic Committee announced that Kwan had withdrawn from the Games after suffering a new groin injury in her first practice in Turin. Kwan remarked that she "respected the Olympics too much to compete.^[45]" The Turin organizing committee accepted the USOC's application for Emily Hughes (who had finished third at the U.S. Championships) to compete as Kwan's replacement.

After her withdrawal from the Olympic team, Kwan turned down an offer to stay in Turin as a figure skating commentator for NBC Sports.^[46] During an interview with Bob Costas and Scott Hamilton, Michelle Kwan said she was not retiring yet.

Kwan underwent elective arthroscopic surgery in August 2006 to repair a torn labrum in her right hip, an old injury which she traces back to 2002.^[11] According to Kwan, the surgery allowed her to skate pain-free for the first time in four years.^[47]

2006–present[link]

Kwan did not compete during the 2006–2007 figure skating season.^[48]

Kwan told the Associated Press in October 2007 that she would decide in 2009 if she planned to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics,^[47] but she ultimately decided not to do so, focusing instead on graduate school.^[49][49] She has said "Representing the United States as an American Public Diplomacy Envoy the past three years has been very rewarding, and I want to do more." After graduating from the University of Denver in 2009, Kwan said "Furthering my education will bring me closer to that goal, and I don't want to wait any longer to continue the journey."^[49]

On February 17, 2010, Kwan told ABC News in an interview that she is continuing her studies as a graduate student at the Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She is working toward her Master's Degree focused on U.S. Foreign Policy and Pacific-Asia as well as continuing her work as a Public Diplomacy Envoy. Kwan also said she will be commentating for Good Morning America at the 2010 Winter Olympics.^[50]

In August 2009, Kwan made her first on-ice appearance in several years, performing at the Ice All Stars, a show headlined by South Korean world champion Kim Yu-Na in Seoul, South Korea.^[51] Kwan appeared in Kim's All That Skate shows in South Korea and Los Angeles.^[52] She was the guest star to open the skate rink in the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore in December 2010, where she performed twice to "Winter Song", a programme she self-choreographed with her sister.^[53] She returned to Singapore a month later as a Public Diplomacy Envoy^[54] to meet local students and to promote ice skating in the tropical country.^[55]

Awards and accolades[link]

Kwan is a recipient of the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award (2001), which is given to America's best amateur athlete; she was the first figure skater to win the award since Dick Button won it in 1949. In 2003 she was named the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) "Sportswoman of the Year", and is the 5th figure skater in history to receive this honor. She has also been named USOC "Athlete of the Month" 14 times, which is more than any other athlete, male or female, as well as being named "Female Figure Skating Athlete of the Year" by the USOC multiple times. She is also the recipient of the USOC's "Citizenship Through Sports Alliance Award" (2004).

Kwan is one of the only two multiple winners of the "Readers' Choice Figure Skater of the Year" award given by Skating magazine (1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001–2003). In 2003, the United States Figure Skating Association, which publishes Skating, announced that the award would be renamed the "Michelle Kwan Trophy." The USFSA stated that although Kwan may continue to skate competitively, she will no longer be eligible for this award. She also appeared on International Figure Skating Magazine's "25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating List" seven times, and was named the most influential skater for the 2002–03 season.

In 1999, she was given the Historymakers Award by the Los Angeles Chinese American Museum.^[56]

In 2010, Michelle received an honorary doctorate's degree from Southern Vermont College and delivered the commencement speech for that year's graduation.^[57]

In January 2009, she was appointed a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports by George W. Bush.^[58][59][60] On May 3, 2009, Kwan was honored by the Los Angeles Chinese Historical Society of Southern California in "Celebrating Chinese Americans in Sports".^[61] In 2011, she was added to the board of the Special Olympics.^[62] Kwan is the sole inductee for the 2012 United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame.^[15] Kwan is also the sole inductee for the 2012 World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.^[63]

Programs[link]

Competitive highlights[link]

Kwan sits in the kiss and cry area at the 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Other people in the photo include Kwan's father, who was acting as her coach at this event.

Major events for Olympic-eligible skaters include the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, World Figure Skating Championships, the Olympic Winter Games, and the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Kwan's record in these events is listed by season in the tables below.

• J = Junior level, WD = withdrew, Alt = Alternate, did not compete

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Michelle Kwan

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Michelle Kwan

• Michelle Kwan at the International Skating Union
• Michelle Kwan at the United States Figure Skating Association
• Works by or about Michelle Kwan in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Michelle Kwan collected news and commentary at The New York Times