Top Ten Greatest Female Figure Skaters of All Time

As a Korean and also a figure skating fan, I fell in love with Yuna's skating. The way she captivated the audience with her skating was amazing. Her jumps and techniques are also textbooks. She also has artistry. The grace, elegance in her skating cannot be described. And that's not it she was the first and only women figure skater to never finish off the podium. She is the best figure skater of all time.

She brought me into figure skating and changed my view as a sport fan. She showed me that there is no boarders when it comes to rooting for someone in the sport no matter where he comes from, because how can you not appreciate something so obviously talented and great when you watch her skating. She has a special place in my heart forever.

It's insulting that Sotnikova is number 1. She so obviously had the gold handed to her at Sochi, her marks totally inflated. She did nothing of note after that, whereas Yuna Kim has won two world championships and 3 Grand Prix championships on top of her 2010 Olympic gold.

The one and only figure skater who achieved to be on podium during her entire skating career. Pretty mind blowing achievement, considering how she was always disturbing disadvantaged due to her nationality.

Haha at her being tops in this. Her mother must have made 1000 alternate accounts and voted on all 1000 of them everyday or something. Everybody knows her Olympic Gold was the biggest joke win in history. And she did nothing else in her career, not even a grand prix final medal, European title, or regular grand prix win despite having the talent to do these things easily, since she is such a head case except for skating pretty good Olympic bronze worthy performances in Sochi, everywhere else flopping. Then wimped out and dissapeared rather than trying to show she wasnt a fluke and maybe deserved her undeserved Oly Gold, and wasnt a total 1 hit wonder.

Her Olympic win was such a sham result, that I nearly quit watching skating. and I am not even a big fan of either her, or any of her competitors- Yu Na, Mao, Miki, Kostner, the other Russians so I had no ax to grind. Yes she did skate very well and the best she ever had, but clearly not the best, and there was blatant corruption involved.

Her win in Sochi was the most rigged and unfair result of all time and I am not even a fan of Yu Na Kim. I am also not impressed how she retired right after like a coward rather than face the more talented upcoming Russians.

Her 2014 Olympic gold medal performance was brilliant and was unfairly critiqued after the fact. Nonetheless, after an ACL injury, she has proven to be a one hit wonder. Not even in the top 100.

People talk about her artistry but forget from 82-85 she was arguably the best jumper in the world, outside of young Ito. She did the first ever triple flip, she had triple loop, triple toe, triple salchow, a double lutz-triple toe combination and double flip-triple toe combination which were really hard for the time. Only at the end when younger generations who were being trained for post figures, and when her body changed, did she fall behind athletically.

She is only up there if you judge results only, and not skating. Skating wise she isn't anywhere near the top all time, as much as I respect her as a competitor and star. Perhaps the best competitor ever though.

Great champion, should be higher than 4th. Kim, kwan, and Sotnikova don't have 2 Olympic Golds. Kim I can give a pass as she CLEARLY should have 2 Olympic golds, but Kwan has 0 and Sotnikova should have 0.

She was a good artistic skater but technically she was substandard even for her time. Kind of overrated.

No doubt it's Michelle the moved so soft on ice. Her landing standing pose were perfection. I have not seen any girl come close to how she jumps with such elegance to the landing. Her hand and the way they flow thru the music. She takes you on a journey to her world when she skates. She's truly phenomenal her perseverance is truly magical and astonishing. No one else in the world of figure skating stuck around trying and trying but along the way she kept on proving that she is the best. I'm kinda glad she didn't win because we wouldn't have alll those times she skated on ice with such grace and power. She wouldn't have inspired us and I'm sure she would have retired just like the rest of the past Olympic champion. To many she's an Olympic gold winner already. I mean who's to say that those judges judged the wrong winner. A sport should not be judged , it should be then judged by the audience who the real winner is. The one that captivates everyone's heart. Michelle Kwan is my three ...more

Queen of the Ice... no one moved like her, no one had grace like her, no one held edges like her, no one had the musicality that she did. Sasha Cohen was the only one who could compete in that regard but she was not consistent. Michelle held her top spot for a decade straight, even w/o Olympic wins, pushing the sport along the way. The best there ever was, the best to ever do it, there will never be another. Period.

The condescension of most of these comments is unfortunate. Were they watching? It just wasn't her artistry and musicality. It was her soul. While others worked too hard or, frankly, were bland, Michelle gave us her continual joy In the very act of skating. Was there anything as spiritual as her Lyra Angelica?

Legend. Today's skating fans can smugly denounce her technical ability, but it was at a time when a triple-double and otherwise solid triple solos were good enough, especially when combined with consistency, beautiful artistry, and a great person. She's earned her legendary status.

Integrates both Art and Emotion as well as Skill and Technics into all of her programs. All programs are beautiful and entertaining. A true inspiration for others and Truly the Greatest!

She is the true figure skating that lived of all time and made so many world records for the free skate and the short program.

Her artistry and ability to convey emotions in the program are amazing. You can watch her skating forever

She has amazing skating skills and jumps!

I respect her so much since she tried to take risks she didn't have to take to win, and it even hurt her sometimes. She wanted to push the sport forward. She is one of the most beautiful artistic skaters out there, yet pushed things with triple axels and difficult triple-triple combos from when she was 14. Incredible champion and skater. in my opinion underappreciated in part since she was in the shadow of her rival, the great Yu Na Kim. In any other era she would be the standout.

Way underrated. Come on behind Witt and Kwan, get real people. If she skated in eras that weak she would have 8 world titles. She didn't win more since flawed rules didn't give her credit for things like the triple axel, since she is underscored in PCS, especialy vs Yu Na and the Russians, and since she skated in an era with such tough competition.

She has it all except for consistency especially with her triple axel. She may not have won an OGM but she's undeniably one the best female skaters of all time. End of discussion!

Her skate in Sochi was the best by a women. Just referring to her long program of course, I know she couldn't medal since she really blew the short.

3 consecutive Olympic gold medals during a streak of 10 consecutive World Championships. Both feats that have never been matched. And I don't care what year it was. Kim, Witt, Kwan & Yamaguchi...none of them have more than 2 Olympic medals and only 2 golds between the four of them. How does Sonia Henie not rank as #1 every single time. And I don't care about what year it was or the level of competition. Every Olympian in history has faced equal level opponents in that year's Olympics.

This one seriously screwed up top 10 list. Someone please explain how Ms. Henie isn't ranked number one.

The only three-time Olympic champion in women's skating.

By far the best figure skater ever!

She is perfection. Ever the rare fall she can make look planned with precision. She is the original 6.0 girl than 10.0 Michelle Kwan is 2nd for continuous excellence. Tara Lapinski won gold from Michelle with the luck of of a triple loop double toe to which she skated off with a gold and was never to be heared from again untill she and Johnny Weir teamed up to be "Sports Reporters" but rather look like judges on some reality T.V. show discussing fashion; which based on Tara's recent hoochie mama off the shoulder hot pink dress looked like something out of a prom night horror show.

Should be higher. There is no way she should be below someone like Michelle Kwan, and don't even make me laugh at her being behind Lipnitskaya and Sotnikova, the ultimate 1 hit/1 season wonders if there ever were ones.

Pure class, very well rounded skater. Gorgeous to watch on the ice!

I had never seen a skater that personifies a ballerina like she does, if she wins another Olympic gold, watch out! Greatest ever!

Olympic champion. Beautiful girl, beautiful programs.

She is beautiful!

Alina Zagitova is a awesome skater and by doing all those jumps she should be quite good

She had a lot of success but was in a pretty weak era where she had no real competition except Michelle Kwan most of the way, and still didn't achieve as much as she could, choking away golds at the 97, 2000, and 2001 worlds, and 2002 and 2006 Olympics. Inflated on this list to even be top 10ish. Despite that she has more medals I would put her even behind someone like Carolina Kostner in Europe.

She performed for a long time, but we all remember her. One of the first women who glorified Russian women's singles skating. Jumped the most difficult cascade 3Lz + 3Lo, won the World and European championships

5 straight world titles and an Olympic Gold in ladies. 3 straight world titles in pairs. Truly the best overall womens skater ever.

It seems impossible how she did the triple axel!

She had to overcome a lot. I'm happy for her.

She always skated with such power.

Without a doubt the best Female Skater in the history of Figure Skating

Silver medalist world champion. Vote her in the top ten!

She is amazing! She deserves to be in the top 10!

Beautiful skater to watch. Not the most consistent when it comes to the technical ability, but always a beauty to watch. And when she puts it together, gorgeous!

Like a humming bird

The only thing that surpassed her beauty on the ice is her actual beauty. If we're talking Artistic wise probably the greatest ever, the jumping craze not included as it wasn't her strong suit

Many skaters can jump but only Sasha was really a ballerina on ice, she had the best positions and lines.

She was a true artist.

The most artistic skater ever. As Piggy Felming said she never hit a bad position.

The most artistic figure skater of all time.

Her triple axels recorded on videos still seem the best of all the ones tried by female skaters. Amazing athleticism.

The best female skater ever.

In my unworthy opinion - The sport made a mockery of itself when it turned a cold shoulder to this unprecedented talent and exciting creative force. All great sports evolve and by doing so retain and even gain relevance. By ignoring an innovator of this once-in-a-century caliber the sport loses.

Should have a closet full of Olympic gold medals and other awards.

She is the best the world has ever seen even if no one approves it!

Beautiful and unique

She isn't that good. It should be clear by now she was a flash in the pan success, boosted by a bit of overhype of her abilities at the time due to the excitement of her youth and X factor appeal.

Dazzling performer, her skating was simply stunning to me..
My favorite of all time...

It has been in the top for many years. She is already 25 years old, but still this figure skater is still on top. This girl is definitely admirable