Kiss-and-cry: Is figure skating's voyeuristic staple worth the mental health toll on its athletes

MILAN (AP) — Kristi Yamaguchi thought she had done enough to win the gold medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.

Even the dress she was wearing that night was accented with gold.

But it wasn't until Yamaguchi heard her scores while sitting in the kiss-and-cry area just off the ice inside Halle Olympique, longtime coach Christy Ness by her side, that everything became real. First came solid technical marks in the old 6.0 scoring system, then came huge artistic scores of almost 5.9 across the board, catapulting Yamaguchi out of her seat to wave at the fans.

“It was just such an incredible moment,” she recalled.

Showcasing such moments — the unscripted exuberance and unbridled joy — is a big reason why the kiss-and-cry exists. So are those cute, endearing moments, like when Yamaguchi accidentally sat back down on a big stuffed teddy bear.

Then there is the opposite end of the competitive spectrum, moments that put on display skaters at their lowest. That was what Ilia Malinin endured on Friday night, when his disastrous free skate ruined his chances for gold. The world watched as the heavy favorite to triumph at the Milan Cortina Games sat through several agonizing minutes of dejection.

It raises the question: As more emphasis is placed on the mental health of athletes, should the sport of figure skating continue such a voyeuristic practice of having scores revealed to them — the good, yes, but especially the bad — in such a nakedly public way?

“I guess it's just always been part of the sport. I wouldn't know it without it,” Yamaguchi told The Associated Press. “You are always going to have that element of tension while you're waiting for the scores to come up. TV is all about getting good TV moments, so why not create a place where you showcase the emotions of the athletes in the moment?”

It makes sense for those moments of sheer happiness.

At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir shared a moment of serene joy as they learned they had won on home soil. Over the years, French skater Kevin Aymoz has become famous for his kiss-and-cry celebrations, including one where he broke down in tears upon taking over first place at the 2023 world championships in Japan.

“It’s thrilling," Aymoz said, “when you see those scores come up.”

Yet there have been just as many cringe-worthy moments in figure skating, too.

At the 2014 Sochi Games, Yuna Kim of South Korea looked positively deflated the moment she learned her bid for back-to-back titles had ended with a silver medal. Four years later, at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, Gabrielle Daleman could only bury her face in her hands after the Canadian's disappointing free skate, her painful reaction beamed to a global audience.

She no doubt would have preferred sitting backstage when her scores were read.

The subject of the kiss-and-cry is not such a debate at the senior level, where athletes are essentially professionals. They understand that the drama created by the moment is good for the sport, and good for their own brands. It humanizes them to fans watching in the stands or at home, creating a sort of emotional bond that can pay long-term dividends.

But what about junior- and novice-level skaters, including those not even teenagers yet, who may get to revel in the soaring highs of hearing a good score but must also suffer through the soul-crushing lows of hearing a poor one?

After all, the International Skating Union pointed to mental health as one of the primary reasons following the 2022 Beijing Games for increasing the age limit for senior-level skaters from 15 to 17 in time for the Milan Cortina Games.

“In our Congress in 2018 this was a topic, a heated discussion, pros and cons — ‘Do we want the best skaters or do we want to pay more attention to the well-being of an athlete?’” ISU president Jae-youl Kim said. “Then at our last Congress in '24, we invited Gracie Gold, and we devoted a whole session to safeguarding young athletes.”

Gold, the former two-time U.S. champion, has been an outspoken proponent for the mental health of skaters. She laid out her own struggles in her 2024 memoir, “Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F(asterisk)cking Up, and Figuring It Out.”

Yet the ISU has rarely discussed the propriety of the kiss-and-cry, so ingrained is it in the sport of figure skating.

Instead, it seems to have doubled-down on the drama.

During last year's world championships, the ISU introduced a “hot seat,” where the current leader must sit in sight of the crowd until someone beats them. For the Olympics, there is not only a hot seat but a “podium box” where second and third must sit.

“It's a high-pressure environment,” acknowledged Amber Glenn, who helped the U.S. win team gold earlier in the Winter Games, and who will compete in the individual event next week. “I think we are getting to the point where we are kind of trying to find a balance of what is good for the sport and what is good for the athlete."

In the meantime, the kiss-and-cry will remain centerstage for some of the most emotional moments of the Olympics.

“It is the good and bad,” Yamaguchi said. “I think everyone has just accepted that’s part of the sport.”

AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Maxim Naumov of the United States reacts to his scores after competing during the men's free skate program in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan competes during the men's free skate program in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Kevin Aymoz of France reacts to his scores after competing during the men's free skate program in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Piper Gilles, center, and Paul Poirier, right, of Canada react to their scores after competing during the ice dancing free skate in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Ilia Malinin of the United States reacts after competing while Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan is seen on left while waiting for scores during the men's free skate program in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Portland, which is welcoming a WNBA team back to the city after 24 years, selected veteran forward Bridget Carleton with the first pick in Friday's expansion draft.

Guard Julie Allemand, who played last season for the Los Angeles Sparks, was selected by the Toronto Tempo with its first pick.

The Tempo won a coin flip and opted to take the sixth pick in the college draft on April 13 over the top pick in the expansion draft. So Portland went first on Friday and will have the seventh pick in the college draft.

Carleton, who has played for the last seven seasons for the Minnesota Lynx and averaged 6.5 points and 3.6 rebounds a game last season off the bench, was an unrestricted free agent.

“Once we finalized our process, and zoomed in on Bridget, and knew we had our first expansion pick, it was obvious we did not want to have Toronto hold our destiny in their hands," Portland general manger Vanja Cernivec said.

Allemand averaged 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5 assists in 34 games last season.

“This group gives us the ability to compete from day one while continuing to build, and embraces the opportunity to help shape something new in a new country as Canada’s first WNBA team,” Toronto general manager Monica Wright Rogers said.

The league's teams protected five players apiece ahead of the expansion draft but those lists were not made public, leading to speculation about which players were available.

On Wednesday, the Chicago Sky announced trades with the Tempo and the Fire, which prevented the expansion teams from selecting Sky players. In exchange, the Fire got the No. 17 pick in the college draft and the No. 26 pick went to the Tempo.

The expansion draft had two rounds, with up to six picks for each team in each round. The teams alternated picks, with the Tempo picking first in the second round after the Fire got the first overall selection.

Teams could only lose two players to the expansion draft. If a player was taken in the first round, a second player from that same franchise couldn't be taken until the second round.

Following Allemand, the Tempo selected center Nyara Sabally from the Liberty, guard Marina Mabrey from the Sun, forward Aaliya Nye from the Aces, guard Lexi Held from the Mercury, and forward Maria Conde from the Valkyries.

In the second round the Tempo selected forward Maria Kliundikova from the Lynx, center Adja Kane from the Liberty, center Nikolina Milic from the Sun, guard Kitija Laksa from the Mercury, and guard Kristy Wallace from the Fever.

After Carleton, the Portland Fire selected guard Carla Leite from the Valkyries, center Luisa Geiselsoder from the Stars, forward Emily Engstler from the Mystics, guard Maya Caldwell from the Dream and forward Chloe Bibby from the Fever.

In the second round Portland took guard Haley Jones from the Wings, forward Nyadiew Puoch from the Dream, guard Sara Ashlee Barker from the Sparks, guard Sug Sutton from the Mystics and guard Nika Muhl from the Storm.

Mabry was also an unrestricted free agent. Each team was allowed to pick only one unrestricted free agent.

The teams still do not know when free agency will open. More than 80% of the players are free agents this year, as many players have expiring contracts or opted out of the previous collective bargaining agreement.

The college draft is set for April 13 and training camps open on April 19. The season will start on May 8.

The Tempo and Fire join the WNBA as the league's 14th and 15th teams. Portland previously had a WNBA team, also called the Fire, that played from 2000 to 2002.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Toronto Tempo general manager Monica Wright Rogers, right, and assistant general manager Eli Horowitz pose for a photo after speaking to media following the WNBA Expansion Draft in Toronto, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)

FILE - Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton (6) dribbles the ball up court against the Phoenix Mercury during the second half of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball playoff semifinals series Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn, File)