Truest Champions?

[Shae & Vic Forever]

No this isn't another one of those "who is the real 2002 Olympic Pairs champions?" :roll:

This thread is about who you think has the true heart of a champion. Who wears their title well without scandal or demise? Who is gracious about it?

My nominations per category:

Pairs: Brasseur & Eisler: they were so happy that they finally won their championship, and she had a broken rib at the time...that's guts!

Mens: Todd Eldridge: in 1996 when he won first and finally. It was a guts and glory moment. When the King (Elvis) was expected to shine in Canada and didn't, Todd stepped in and was phenominal.

Ladies: Sarah Hughes: I am just amazed at how well she's handling her Olympic success. She's got a great head on her shoulders.

Dance: Lobecheva & Averbuk: I've never seen a happier scene than seeing Irina run up to Ilia as he swept her off her feet and hugged her. They were so happy that it finally happened.

[Miezekatze]

I've never seen skaters being ungracious about their own victory :D

[Catherine M]

S&FV you got confused. Isabelle didn't have a broken rib in 93. That was the following season that she was injured. They were still happy to win in Prague but it wasn't because she was injured.

[IgglesII]

[quote:42e134b977="Shae & Vic Forever"]

This thread is about who you think has the true heart of a champion. Who wears their title well without scandal or demise? Who is gracious about it?

[/quote:42e134b977]

The New England Patriots!! :D

[Shae & Vic Forever]

right it was the death of her father Gill that was so emotional that year.

[Orable]

Truest champion? well for me, I guess that means not giving up on your goals and sticking in for the nitty gritty...in recent memory, I'd nominate the girl in that Uzbek pairs team who skated in the Olys with a broken foot.

There are others, but this girl sticks in my memory--even if her name doesn't! :lol

Cheers, Orable

[loveskating]

Not sure what you mean, but I've always loved Artur Demietriev's behavior off ice...I've never seen him play any games whatsoever, he never complained about losses, he never even once "unleashed" his fans to claim he was the best even if he lost or to claim they should have won, and he always provided some insight in interviews about what was going on, and was always a perfectly gracious person in every way.

Even in 94 when others were complaining about G&G's win, he was great...M&D had a perfect skate, but it contained considerably less difficulty and quality, IMHO, than G&G's skate and I feel sure he knew that...he seems to have all things in perspective, not to be much of a narcissistic fellow.

[Hidden Agenda]

Todd Eldredge. Michelle Kwan,Gordeeva and Grinkov, Artur Dimitriev,Torvill and Dean, Paul Wylie,Kurt Browning.
And, the co-Gold medalists in pairs this year, both teams handled it well during the Olympics.

[lBrokenAnkle]

I can't think of anyone in any discipline or even many in other sports who define champion better than Elvis. Oddly enough though he had had only one international win since he was injured in 1998, I think his behavior since then is what really sets him above anyone else in my mind.

In retrospect it seems obvious that his injury was greater than people first realized. Although I am sure Elvis believed he could get back on top of the world podium, it is pretty obvious that was not his primary motivation, it was, as he always said, about the challenge to himself.

When I watched the Nationals on tape, thanks to a very kind Canadian friend, I really understood (as much as an outsider can) just how far he had to come from Feb 14, 1998, and how IMHO, everytime he stepped on the ice since then, he was a champion all over again. And to remember that he never made excuses, rarely even alluded to how the injury may have permanently affected him, how he remained positive and focused and always looking forward, even in that most heartbreaking moment of his career, which had to be worlds 2001, well, that's a champion to me.

So when I saw that he skated to The Impossible Dream at the gala, I felt it really summed up what a real champion does, which is trying when your arms are too weary, etc, because when you're through, you are truly at peace with what you did.

Laura

[lrng to skt]

Paul Wylie; Katarina Witt; Dmtriev & both partners; Victor Petrenko; In Dance I have my favorites but it doesn't really fit this category (thank GAWD).

I think I'm gonna enjoy Sasha Cohen :D ...g

[Artemis]

For me part of being a true champion is great sportspersonship, so in that regard I'd have to say Kurt Browning. Not in terms of a single win, but in terms of his whole career and attitude. He knows how to act like a champion both in victory and defeat, how to accept the vote of the judges either way. I'll never forget a an interview back in 94 when he said that he figured at least one of his Canadian titles rightlfully belonged to Elvis, but the key was to [b:5f8d2ccd88][i:5f8d2ccd88]be[/i:5f8d2ccd88][/b:5f8d2ccd88] a champion once you've won.

[SShaste]

lbrokenankle, I was going to say Elvis too and I'll just ditto your reasons because I couldn't have said it better myself. :D