To win a National Championship is important, and who win must be proud of his accomplishment. Said this, in figure skating the National Championship is important for the winner, for the national hierarchy, for the designation at the most important competitions, but should count nothing at the international levels. I would like to write that, internationally, the nationals results count nothing but the reality is that the national scores (and the narratives that are made of it) influence the international judges. Another day…

Surely a national champion can’t be exalted as he has done something really important in figure skating. We can love a good program, an extraordinary program can be skated in any competition. The fact that the Autumn Classic International is a Challenger Series competition, not an Olympic Games, or an ISU Championship, and not even a Grand Prix competition, didn’t prevent Yuzuru Hanyu to skate a wonderful short program in 2017. That program is really important because the world record established there is now fixed as the historical world record. A program, even in a competition not so important, can be extraordinary, can mark the discipline. But if we talk of win, for a skater the only legacy important worldwide came from the most important international competitions.

To make clear what I think, I watched all the past World Championship. I worked only on the Man’s competition, to check all the competitions require too much time, and my reasoning is clear even watching only the Men. I checked the nationality of all the skaters that won at least a World Championship. For these nations I searched who won at least four National Championship. These are their names:

Five skaters, Karol Divin (1954-1964), John Page (1922-1933), Werner Rittberger (1911-1928), Oliver Honer (1978-1990) and Hans Lindh (1946-1956) won the national title eleven times. Four, Patrick Chan, Alain Giletti, Nobuo Sato and Bo Mothander have each ten victories.

Are they the best skaters in the World? There are some important names among these, but the Swedish Lindh (zero participation at international competition other than Nordic Games) or Mothander (only one European Championship, with a sixth place as result) surely aren’t as important as their compatriote Ulrich Salchow o Gillis Grafstrom.

Both Salchow and Grafstrom won only three National Championship, but their legacy isn’t due to this competition. The National Championship is important, but the most important competitions are others.

Said so, I checked how many National Championship won the skaters that won at least a gold at the World Championship or at the Olympic Games. For some nation there were political changes, and some skaters has competed under two different flag. These details aren’t relevant for my post.

The numbers of titles go from 10 for the French Alain Giletti, the Russian Evgeni Plushenko and the Canadian Patrick Chan to 0 for the Swedish Henning Grenander and the Russian Alexei Yagudin.

Grenander, for the little we know, competed only in two competitions in the XIX century, so it’s impossible to really talk about him. But Yagudin was one of the most important skater of the XXI century. He won a gold at the Olympic Games, four golds, one silver and one bronze at the World Championship and three golds and two silvers at the European Championship. Nevertheless, speaking of National Championship, at best he won the silver.

That means that he isn’t a skater so important? No, that means that sometimes the results of the National Championships say nothing about the true importance of a skater. Starting from the most titled, I check how difficult was to win the National Championship for all the World Champions or Olympic Champions after World War II.

With ten gold medals at the National Championship there are three skaters. I’ll look at them in chronological order. The first is Alain Giletti.

For the competition of so much years ago we don’t always have all the information, but in 1959 there were only two skaters, so both of them knew well before the competition that they will go on the podium. Even if Giletti and Calmat are almost of the same age, Calmat needed more time to become strong. He defeated Giletti in 1958, but until 1960 he didn’t win any medal at the World Championships. At least for the first seven years probably Calmat wasn’t a serious threat for Giletti. Even if ten championships are a lot, perhaps most of this victories were easy. Giletti is important mostly because he was the first French skater to go on the podium (and to win) at the World Championship, but the French titles are important only in France.

Ten championships also for Evgeni Plushenko, but for Plushenko to win was much more difficult than for Giletti. For Plushenko’s adversaries, as for all who have a lot of strong adversaries, I’ve cut the screenshots of the results because they’re too long. I kept only Olympic Games, World Championships (also at junior level), European/Four Continents Championships, Grand Prix Final (also junior) and National Championships. But, even if in my screenshots are visible the results of several competitions, I consider as strong adversary only the skaters who have won at least a medal in a World Championship or in an Olympic Games because only the competitions in which can be present all the strongest skaters, regardless their nationality, are really important.

In his four first National Championship, among Plushenko’s rival there was the Olympic Champion and World bronze medallist Alexei Urmanov. In the third Championship, Urmanov was second, Plushenko third. In the fourth, Plushenko was first, Urmanov third. The young Plushenko had to surpass an Olympic Champion, 9 years older than him and really experienced, to win. It wasn’t easy. In his second and third National Championship there was also Ilia Kulik. Kulik, World silver medallist in the year of Plushenko’s senior debut, in 1998 won the gold at the Olympic Games. How much was difficult for him, to win a bronze in the National Championship in the 1997-98 season? Ahead of Plushenko there were only two Olympic Champion. To win this bronze probably was much more difficult than for Giletti to win his first seven gold.

Another rival, for his first six years, was Alexei Yagudin, another Olympic gold medallist. Plushenko was defeated by Yagudin several times in international competitions, but, after the first three years, at the National Championship it was always Plushenko to win. In order to win the Russian title, Plushenko had to beat the best skaters in the World. His wins are important. After Yagudin’s retirement for some years Plushenko was, without doubt, the best in the World, and his strongest rivals weren’t Russian. The only one able to win a World’s medal was Artur Gachinski with his bronze in 2011.

The seven titles from the 2001-2002 season to the end of his career were simpler than the first three, even if his adversaries won some medals of a some importance: Alexander Abt (a silver and a bronze at the European Championship), Ilia Klimkin (a bronze at the European Championship, a silver at the Grand Prix Final), Sergei Voronov (a silver and a bronze at the European Championship, a bronze at the Grand Prix Final), Konstantin Menshov (a bronze at the European Championship) and Maxim Kovtun (the skater who win gold at the Russian Championship in the last participation of Plushenko, two silver and a bronze at the European Championship). A last detail: for several reasons Plushenko has skipped five National Championships, in years in which none was at his levels. How many more titles he could have win?

The last World champion of the years after the World War II to win ten National Championships was the Canadian Patrick Chan.

Jeffrey Buttle is 8 years older than Chan. In order to win his first National Championship Chan had to beat a skater that already won an Olympic bronze and a World silver and that, two months after, will win the World Championship. That victory was difficult, and important. After, with Buttle retired, for Chan to win was easy. His strongest rival was Kevin Reynolds, who won a gold and a bronze at the Four Continents Championship, but that at the World Championships/Olympic games was a time fifth, a time ninth, and five times under the tenth position. If Chan hasn’t skipped a whole season, he probably would have won one more championship, but his victories are less significant that Plushenko’s victories.

With nine victories there are Jan Hoffman and Stephane Lambiel.

For the first two years Gunter Zoller was strongest than Hoffman, and indeed it was Zoller who won. After his retirement, Hoffman didn’t have any rivals. The best placement in a World Championship of one of his compatriote was a ninth place. We can praise Hoffman for his nine victories, but for a skater who has won two gold, two silver and three bronze in his last seven participation at the World Championship, and an Olympic silver, these were very easy competitions.

This is the Swiss Championship. Lambiel has skipped a whole season due to an injury.

Look at the names of his adversaries. How he could not win?

With eight win there are Manfred Schnelldorfer, Ondrej Nepela, Brian Orser, Brian Joubert and Javier Fernandez.

Tilo Gutzeit was 5 years older than Schnelldorfer, who won his silver at 12 years. The following year, Schnelldorfer win. The only two important German male skaters of that time were Hans-Jurgen Baumler, who competed mostly in Pairs, and Franz Ningel, who competed only in Pairs. The eight national titles of Schnelldorfer aren’t so significative.

Karol Divin was a really important skater, he has won an Olympic silver, a silver and a bronze at the World Championship, and two gold, two silvers and four bronzes at the European Championship. But in 1964 he has retired. After, for Nepela it was easy to win the Czech championship, his rivals weren’t strong.

To become National champion Brian Orser had to beat Brian Pockar, a strong skater. The first two win were difficult. After, for four years, he didn’t has strong rivals (I really love Gary Beacom, but he isn’t so strong, his best result at a World Championship was a tenth place). In the last two Orser’s Canadian Championship there was also Kurt Browning, but Orser was almost 5 years older than Browning. In 1988 Browning landed the first quadruple in a competition, but, by his own admission, he was very far from Orser. Only in 1989 Browning become really strong, but Orser was already retired. For Orser to win his eight titles was harder than for all the previous skater – except Plushenko – but most of his victories were easy.

Brian Joubert’s strongest rivals were strong only at European level, at the World Championship none of them has won a medal. After overcame Stanick Jeannette, seven years older than him, at 19 years, for Joubert to win was easy. Samuel Contesti was never a threat, and from 2007-2008 season, he competed for Italy.

For the Spanish competition only one explanation is necessary: the year in which Fernandez was defeated by Javier Raya, he injured himself just before the competition. Other than an injury, nothing can prevent Javi to win the Spanish championship.

With seven win there are Dick Button and Elvis Stojko.

After Plushenko, Button was the skater with the strongest rivals, stronger than Orser’s rivals. He was two years older than James Grogan, and four years older than Hayes Alan Jenkins, and considering that he has won his first Olympic gold at 19 years, at least at first the different age was an advantage for him, but he is one of the few skater for which we can say that to win a National Championship was difficult because his rivals were strong, and who deserved to be praised for his accomplishment.

Elvis Stojko is 6 years younger than Kurt Browning, his win in 1994 was very significative. After Browning’s retirement, Stojko didn’t has a serious rival at the Canadian Championship until the arrival of Jeffrey Buttle. But Buttle is 10 years younger than Stojko. He isn’t so young in 2002, but he had much less experience than Stojko. Only in his first and perhaps in his seventh win Stojko has strong rivals, the other five wins were easy.

Alexander Fadeev is the only skater who has won six National titles.

Fadeev has always had a strong rival, Igor Bobrin in the firsts years, Viktor Petrenko in the others, even if at first Petrenko was young and needed experience. His wins – with also two years in which he didn’t partecipate ad the National Championship – are an important achievement.

Five national titles for seven skaters, two of them has just won their fifth title. They are Hans Gerschwiler, Alain Calmat, John Curry, Alexei Urmanov, Daisuke Takahashi, Yuzuru Hanyu and Nathan Chen.

With Gerschwiler the information are really incomplete, but he is the only Swiss skater to won a World medal after Georges Gautshi’s bronze in 1930 and before Stephane Lambiel’s gold in 2005. For him the biggest problems came from the war. For several years, during the war, he lived in Great Britain, so even if the Swiss Championship was held he can’t compete.

For Calmat the first victory was difficult, and in seven other competition he would have win if there wasn’t Giletti. When I write that for someone to win was easy, it’s because a lot of skaters haven’t strong opponents. Calmat’s five win were much more difficult than Lambiel’s nine (and I love Lambiel, but the truth is the truth). The other four win for Calmat were easy, Péra was much younger than Calmat, in his first French Championship he was 16 years old. When he become a serious rival, Calmat was already retired.

John Curry is 8 years older than Steven Cousins, only 15 years old in 1972-1973 season. Curry was a wonderful skater, but his first rivals weren’t so strong (Oundjian only won a bronze in the European Championship) and, in his firsts seasons, Cousins needed experience. At least three win were easy for Curry (but he skipped a championship, he could easily have had one more win).

Even if after the 1991-1992 season the dissolution of the Soviet Union meant that two skaters began competing for nations other than his own, the wins of Alexei Urmanov were very difficult. He has has competed against four Olympic champion and two other skaters who won medal (among them a gold) at the World Championship. His five win are really significative.

For Daisuke Takahashi win five National Championship wasn’t an easy feat. When he was young he must overcome Takeshi Honda, a two-time World bronze medallist. After Honda’s retirement, Takahashi had to face several skaters younger than him but really strong. Both Takahiko Kozuka and Tatsuki Machida are World silver medallist, and perhaps they has not win more medals because they weren’t always present to the World Championship or to the Olympic Games because in Japan were also Nobunari Oda (a gold at the Four Continents Championship and two silvers and two bronzes at the Grand Prix Finals) and Takahito Mura (a gold at the Four Continents Championship). A lot of really strong skaters has competed for three spots on the World stage, and all of them has won less than they could because a loss in the National Championship has prevented them to go at the most important competitions.

Takahashi won from 2005 to 2011. A year he was injured and didn’t compete. In 2012 he was surpassed by the young Yuzuru Hanyu. Shoma Uno is more younger, the confrontation among them is almost nonexixtent, but in 2018, in his brief return at the competitions, only Uno prevented Takahashi to win his sixth title. There are a lot of skaters that has win more National Championships than Takahashi, but Takahashi’s wins are most meaningful because he has win overcoming skaters really strong.

For Yuzuru Hanyu this consideration is even more true.

For Hanyu I’ve add an information that I don’t have put in the screenshot of the other skaters, even if sometimes I’ve done the information in the text. I’ve written the date of birth of the skaters. Why? Because for a lot of years Hanyu was the younger skater of the competitions, or at least the younger among the strong skaters. In 2007 the 12 years old Hanyu has won the bronze medal at the Junior National Championship. He earned the right to compete in the National Championship, or he would have earned it if he wasn’t too young. At just 16 years old he was fourth in a National Championship in which competed Daisuke Takahashi (8 and half years older than him, World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist only some months before), Nobunari Oda (7 and half years older than him, and if Oda has not win any World or Olympic medal, he has won a gold in a Four Continents Championship, two silver and two bronze in the Grand Prix Final, sign that he can’t be understimated in any competition, and a gold, four silver and a bronze in a National Championship full of strong skaters), Takahiko Kozuka (almost 5 years older than him, World silver medallist in a few months) and Tatsuki Machida (and even if it’s true that Machida has won a World medal, a silver, two years after than Hanyu’s first medal, Machida is almost 4 years older than him, if Hanyu has won first – and more – is simply because Hanyu has surpassed Machida, but a surpass on a strong opponent can’t be given for granted, it must be praised). I don’t have put in the screenshot Takahito Mura, almost four years older than Hanyu, winner of a gold in a Four Continents Championship, and present at his first World Championship in 2009, in Hanyu’s first season among juniors, another skaters that Hanyu had to surpass.

The strenght and the numbers of Hanyu’s adversaries at the time of his first four win is comparable only with the adversaries of the Russian skaters (and Takahashi’s adversaries, but Takahashi was the older, Hanyu the younger, the first was aided by the experience in his confrontations with the adversaries). His win deserves to be praised. And he could have win more. If the Japan Championship wasn’t so full of strong skaters, he could have win at least two years before. And for three years he didn’t compete because he was injured. When the oldest skaters retired, a younger skater, Shoma Uno, become strong.

Uno has won four National Championships, but in the first three years Hanyu was absent because he was injured. His win are much easier than Hanyu’s win. In 2019… a day I must really write about that competition. Hanyu’s first four title and Uno’s four title aren’t comparable. At the end of 2020 Hanyu has won a fifth title overcoming Uno, a skater who has won an Olympic and two World silver medals. His National Championships are all well earned with win against strong adversaries, a thing that can be said really for few skaters.

At the U.S. Championship are assigned four medals, the skater who end in fourth place win a medal of pewter.

Almost of Chen’s rivals (Adam Rippon, a gold in 2010, a competition of very low level, in which competed only two skaters that, two weeks later, were at the Olympic Games, Denis Ten,10° in Sochi, and Abzal Rakimgaliev, 26°, the best skaters deserted the competition), Jason Brown (a silver and a bronze), Joshua Farris (a silver) and Ross Miner (a bronze) have win a medal only in the Four Continents Championship, never in a World Championship, in a Olympic Game, and not even in a Grand Prix Final. There is only one exception, in 2019 Vincent Zhou, a skater over a year younger than Chen, won a bronze at a World Championship.

In the years of the first two Chen’s win, Zhou can’t be considered a serious competitor, and also in the year of the fourth win. In the 2019-2020 season, by his own admission,Zhou has skipped the Grand Prix season and he trained very little, in order to concentrate on the University. I’m not criticizing his choice, the life is his and he must do what he think that is better for him, but his choice made things easier for Chen. Chen has won five National Championship, but at least three win weren’t against strong adversaries. His results at the National Championship aren’t so important, and every comparison with Dick Button, and I’ve read someone who has made this comparison, is nonsense.

What make the difference is the strength of the rivals and their number and not anything other. The fact that Yagudin has won zero National Championship, overcomed in the years by three different skaters who have won an Olympic Gold says all.

Yagudin’s legacy is much more significant than that of someone who has won a lot of National Championship because he didn’t have serious rival in his nation. I don’t watch the other skaters, which have won among four and zero National Championships, because I’ve already spend too much time in this post.

The skaters of whom I’ve written are all strong, I’m not saying otherwise. All of them has won at least an Olympic or World gold. But it’s important to say the things as they are, without building false narrative that only give a wrong images of the sport. As anyone that know how storytelling can influence the reality, it’s always important to highlight where there’s a false narrative made to push someone’s interest above fairness.