Top 10 Devastating Figure Skating Olympic Falls

Top 10 Devastating Figure Skating Olympic Falls

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 devastating figure skating Olympic falls.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the most emotionally and physically crushing figure skating falls that ever occurred at the Winter Games. Prepare for heartbreak.

Which do you think is the worst fall? Skate into the comments.

#10: Barbara Underhill & Paul Martini

1984 Winter Olympics, Sarajevo


Ordinarily, pride comes before a fall. But in the case of Canada's figure skating pair Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, they could say that a big fall gave them the impetus to get up and give it their all. A disastrous showing in the Sarajevo Olympic games saw Underhill slipping and sliding underneath Martini, tripping him up too. The fault was placed on both of them for their proximity to each other and attempt to do the move in the first place. Yet, despite leaving the 1984 Winter Olympics at an all time low, the pair made a return to the rink just weeks later for the 1984 World Figure Skating Championships–and became the first Canadian winners in history.

#9: Tai Babilonia & Randy Gardner

1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid

Sometimes, the fall doesn't have to be during the event in order to cost a skater a win. For the pair of Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, it was evident during the warm-ups of the 1980's Winter Olympics, that something was very wrong. Prior to arriving at Lake Placid, Gardner was already injured with pulled leg muscles, which was further aggravated during the rehearsal. The treatment of painkiller injections made matters even worse, as now Gardner was falling on the ice due to a lack of feeling in his leg. Unable to support his weight, Gardner repeatedly went down during the final warm-up, and left the rink to withdraw from the competition. The pair’s Olympic competition was over before it began.

#8: Laëtitia Hubert

1992 Winter Olympics, Albertville

At 17, and on home soil for the Albertville Winter Olympics in 1992, French Skater Laëtitia Hubert couldn't have had better backing when going into the event. Her involvement in the short program had gone surprisingly well, and now she was in with a chance for a medal, having placed 5th in that event. Hubert knew that she needed to go for broke in the Long Program in order to stand on the podium, in front of her country. Sadly, it couldn't have gone more wrong for her. She fell not once, but four times and made errors across the board. In the end, she placed 15th in the program and 12th overall.

#7: Mao Asada

2014 Winter Olympics, Sochi

They say that the higher they climb, the harder they fall, and sadly, for Mao Asada, they might be right. Prior to Sochi, Asada was the only junior competitor ever to land a triple axel, and the first senior skater to land three in one competition. Expectations were high going into 2014, but it was that same manoeuvre that cost her. Asada fell on the triple axel in two events, costing her a medal. However, the judging at Sochi was criticised as being too focused on her falls and not on it being so technically difficult–especially considering Yuzuru Hanyu won gold with the same reasoning that year.

#6: Mandy Wötzel & Ingo Steuer

1994 Winter Olympics, Lillehammer

In 1994, Mandy Wötzel and Ingo Steuer were a pair skating team on a mission to the top. Only two years after the previous Winter Olympics, and involved in an event that was already mired in controversy, (yes, you, Tonya) the German skaters took to the rink and were expected to place high on the leaderboard. Yet, ironically just as the commentator was remarking on the numerous concussions Woetzel has inflicted on Steuer during their two years together as a team, poor Mandy plummeted chin first to the ice. After a scary moment where it looked like Wotzel couldn’t catch her breath, Steuer picked her up and carried her off to a rink-side doctor who confirmed the pair had to withdraw from the competition.

#5: Kurt Browning

1992 Winter Olympics, Albertville

After suffering a bad back injury only months before the 1992 Olympic Games, Kurt Browning knew that the event was probably not going to go his way. Although he ultimately placed sixth– which is no small achievement given the circumstances–it was a far cry from the gold medal that many were expecting the Canadian to bring home, given that he was the first figure skater to complete a quadruple jump in competition. But it was a fall during a triple axel that cost him a place on the podium. He was never quite the same for Olympic events thereafter, as another fall during his warm-up cost him greatly in 1994 as well, and Browning later called it a day.

#4: Zhang Dan & Zhang Hao

2006 Winter Olympics, Torino

For many watching, China's team of Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao would have been forgiven for withdrawing from the Pairs event of Torino's Winter Olympics. After attempting a never-before-seen - nor landed - quadruple salchow, Zhang Dan was thrown 10 feet into the air and landed awkwardly into a split. The throw and the fall looked decimating, and forced the pair to leave the rink immediately. Although everyone thought they were done, the pair returned after several tense minutes, and finished their routine, even earning the silver medal. The fall prevented the pair from making history and beating the gold medallist Russian pair as they’d intended, but the duo earned extra kudos for their drive to compete.

#3: Jeremy Abbott

2014 Winter Olympics, Sochi

Jeremy Abbott was a member of the U.S. Figure Skating team for both the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. During the latter, he took home a shared bronze medal for the team event, but plans went awry for what he was expected to achieve going into the Men's Short Program. Though not necessarily favoured as a medallist, his place on the board was likely to be high. But in attempting a quadruple jump, Abbott fell and crashed into the barrier which surrounds the rink. Immediately dropping too far down from any conversations about medal winning, he regrouped and finished his performance–which is certainly no mean feat–and left the event with his head held high.

#2: Yulia Lipnitskaya

2014 Winter Olympics, Sochi

Though Sochi 2014 should be considered as an amazing event for the young Russian skater Yulia Lipnitskaya, it will always be one of regrets as well. The country’s youngest gold medallist achieved her victories for the team events, for the free skate and short programs, respectively. Going into the individual event, she seemed destined to earn one on her own. And she would have received another gold had she not fallen when attempting a triple-salchow. She dropped from the favourite to fifth place–although few would doubt her skill and prowess. In 2017, Lipnitskaya retired from competing and now trains the next generation of figure skaters.

#1: Michelle Kwan

2002 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City

Around the turn of the century, Michelle Kwan was the ice skating prodigy. By the time she retired, she was a five-time world champion, and a nine time U.S. Champion. Kwan is also a two-time Olympic Medallist–with bronze and silver around her neck. However, the only one that eluded her was the gold. Sadly, and knowing full well that her time as a skater was probably drawing to a close, that all-important medal slipped out of reach. During her final Olympic event, Kwan fell on a triple flip, losing her points and leaving her in bronze position. There would be no other opportunity for the figure skating legend, as injury forced her to withdraw from 2006's Olympic event, and retirement eventually called.