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July 7,
1980 |
Michelle Kwan is born in Torrance, California. She is the youngest of three children of Danny and Estella Kwan.
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1985-86 |
Kwan begins skating after being introduced to the sport by her older brother, Ron, who was training to be a hockey player. She quickly takes up the sport and eventually learns to jump.
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1991 |
Recognizing that their daughter has a unique talent, the Kwans take Michelle to the prestigious Ice Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead, California.
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1992 |
After training for one year at Ice Castle, Kwan decides to take the U.S. Figure Skating Association's qualifying exam. She passes and moves from junior to senior level.
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1993 |
 Kwan participates in her first national championship at the senior level. She places sixth but gains the attention of fans and the press. Several months later, she wins a gold medal at the Olympic Festival in San Antonio, Texas.
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1994 |
Waiting on the sidelines as an alternate, Kwan travels to her first Olympic Games. She never makes it onto the ice, but the international press takes notice of the young skater.
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1996 |
 Displaying the grace and style she would become famous for, Kwan wins her first national championship and world title in the same year.
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1997 |
 Experiencing a minor slump, Kwan is unable to defend her reign as national or world champion. She re-dedicates herself and makes a comeback before the year's end, winning the gold medal in the Skate American competition.
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1998 |
 Kwan, who receives a perfect score and wins the national championships of 1998, is the favorite for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Despite her near perfect program in Nagano, Kwan loses to American figure skater Tara Lipinski by a close score. Kwan places first in the world championships that year.
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1999 |
Continuing to train and focus on skating, Kwan wins the world and national championships. In the fall, Kwan begins college at the University of California at Los Angeles.
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2000 |
Defending her titles a second year in a row, Kwan takes the national and world championships. People magazine selects Kwan as one of the 50 most beautiful people.
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2001 |
 Kwan wins the U.S. championships in January. She sets her sights on the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia, in late summer and continues to train for the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Melissa Etheridge
