Figure skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics

The figure skating competitions of the 1998 Winter Olympics took place at Nagano’s White Ring. The scoring and event format were identical to those used in 1994. Professionals could once again participate, provided they registered their intent and skated in ISU-sanctioned events. By this time, the majority of elite skaters were openly professional, a shift from earlier years when the ISU faced criticism for barring Western professionals while allowing state-sponsored “amateurs” from the Eastern Bloc.

The schedule unfolded over several days: pairs from February 8 to 10, men’s singles from February 12 to 14, ice dance from February 13 to 16, ladies’ singles from February 18 to 20, and an exhibition gala on February 21.

Thirty-seven nations sent skaters to Nagano.

In the men’s event, Ilia Kulik and Elvis Stojko led after the short program and were the favorites. They skated first and last, respectively, in the free skate. Between them came Alexei Yagudin, Todd Eldredge, and Philippe Candeloro. Steven Cousins also made the final draw but was not seen as a medal threat. Kulik opened the final session with a flawless program featuring a quad toe loop. Yagudin, battling the flu like several other athletes, fell on his quad attempt and his triple Axel, removing himself from medal contention. Eldredge skated cleanly until he popped his second triple Axel, then fell again trying to complete it in the final seconds. Candeloro stepped out of his triple Axel but otherwise skated cleanly, finishing second in the free skate. Stojko, skating last, had planned a quad toe loop–triple toe loop combination but fell on his quad attempt due to a partial groin tear and the flu. Despite the injury, he skated a clean program otherwise, placing third in the free skate and second overall behind Kulik. The podium nations matched those from the 1994 men’s competition: Stojko earned his second consecutive silver, Candeloro his second bronze. At the medal ceremony, Stojko limped to the podium in sneakers. He briefly took the ice at the gala to announce he would skip the World Championships the following month.

In the ladies’ event, the gold medal race was between Americans Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan. After the short program, Kwan led Lipinski. Both skated clean free programs; six judges placed Lipinski ahead, three placed Kwan ahead, giving Lipinski the gold and Kwan the silver.