8 Asians

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics are around the corner, but two-time Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan will not compete and will end her career without a gold model. In her lifetime, Michelle was a nine-time U.S. champion, five-time world champion and silver and bronze Olympic medalist, as reported in the Los Angeles Times:

“In a statement released by U.S. Figure Skating, Kwan said she will attend graduate school full-time at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and pursue a master’s degree in international affairs. Kwan, 29, graduated from the University of Denver last November… Her plan to skate in a show in South Korea later this month with world champion Kim Yu-na had sparked speculation that she might return to competition, but Kwan said she would instead continue her education and a public diplomacy career she began in 2006…  “Representing the United States as an American Public Diplomacy Envoy the past three years has been very rewarding, and I want to do more. Furthering my education will bring me closer to that goal, and I don’t want to wait any longer to continue the journey.”

Michelle is one of the most accomplished women’s figure skaters in the United States and the world — I had the great fortune of being able to see Michelle Kwan skate in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in the short program in women’s figure skating in which she lead the competition before she lost and came in third after completing the long program. I have always admired her skill & grace on the ice and she’s a terrific athletic role model, having traveled to China to dinner with President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao as part of being a non-paid diplomatic envoy representing the United States. I wonder if this means that Michelle will have a chance at all to work with Kal Penn.