The Most EMOTIONAL Figure Skating Moments That Left Champions in Tears on the Ice

They trained their entire lives for one single moment. And when it came… they broke down completely. In this video, we count down the 10 most emotional figure skating moments ever captured on camera. Real athletes. Real tears. Real stories that go far beyond the sequins, the spins, and the perfect scores. From a teenager who had lost everyone she loved… skating her way to Olympic gold. To a son who lost both his parents in a plane crash; and showed up at the Olympics one year later, holding their photograph. These are the moments that stopped arenas cold. The moments that made champions completely break down. And the moments that remind us why we can't stop watching this sport. ⚠️ Fair warning; you might want to grab a tissue before you press play. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a story like this → [Subscribe Button] WHAT'S IN THIS VIDEO ✔ Michelle Kwan breaks down in tears after losing gold to 15-year-old Tara Lipinski at the 1998 Nagano Olympics ✔ Jeremy Abbott crashes into the boards at the 2014 Sochi Olympics; and gets back up to finish ✔ Scott Hamilton's emotional return to the ice after surviving testicular cancer in 1997 ✔ Nancy Kerrigan's iconic "Why? Why? Why me?" — and her unbelievable comeback 7 weeks later ✔ Surya Bonaly performs an illegal one-blade backflip at the 1998 Olympics in an act of pure defiance ✔ Oksana Baiul — orphaned at 13, skating on soft ice with no Zamboni, wins Olympic gold at 16 with stitches in her leg ✔ Yuna Kim sets a world record score of 228.56 points at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics ✔ Yuzuru Hanyu defends his Olympic title on a re-injured ankle — becoming the first man in 66 years to do it ✔ Maxim Naumov skates his Olympic debut one year after losing both parents in the 2025 D.C. plane crash; and holds up their photograph ✔ The 1994 Lillehammer medal ceremony; possibly the most emotional 3 minutes in Winter Olympics history SOURCES & FOOTAGE All moments in this video are verified and backed by publicly available footage. You can find every clip referenced in this video on YouTube, NBC Sports, the official Olympics channel, and CBS Sports archives.