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Brian Orser OC (born December 18, 1961 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian figure skater. He is one of the most accomplished skaters in Canada's history, with eight national titles, two Olympic medals, and a world title to his credit.

He is currently the skating director at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club. He coaches Yu-Na Kim and Adam Rippon.

Personal life[]

Brian Orser was born in Belleville, Ontario.

In 1985 he was made a Member of the OC and was promoted to Officer in 1988.

Career[]

Orser won his first national title on the novice level in 1977. The following season, he went to Junior Worlds and placed 4th, behind eventual rival Brian Boitano. He added a second national title, this time at the junior level, to his resume in 1979.

In 1980, he jumped up to the senior level. He won the bronze medal at his first senior international, the Vienna Cup, and then placed 4th at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships. That was the last time he would place off the podium at the national level.

In the 1980-1981 post-Olympic season, Orser began making his mark on the skating world. He won the silver at the Nebelhorn Trophy, placed 6th at Skate Canada, and then won his first of eight National titles. In his debut at Worlds, he placed 6th. The next season, he won his first medal at Skate Canada and moved up to 4th at Worlds. He won his first World medal in 1983, a bronze, positioning him well for the 1983-1984 Olympic season.

Known already as "Mr. Triple Axel" for his consistency with the jump, Orser became the first man to land that jump at the Olympics when he landed it in his free skate at the 1984 Winter Olympics. He won the silver medal behind Scott Hamilton, and then won the silver at Worlds, again behind Hamilton.

In the 1984-1985 season, Orser was poised to become the dominant champion. However, he had an imperfect Worlds, and placed second. He finally won Worlds in 1987, defeating Brian Boitano on his home ice.

Kim and Orser by Carmichael

Brian Orser and Kim Yu-Na in 2008.

Going into the 1988 Olympics, both Orser and Boitano were thrust into the Battle of the Brians, each being the other's main rival. Orser was undefeated in the 1986-1987 season and had not lost a competition since losing to Boitano at the 1986 Worlds. At the Olympics, Orser served as the flag-bearer for Canada during the opening ceremonies. He placed 3rd in compulsory figures segment of the competition, second in the short program, and second in the free skating, winning the silver medal overall. He won the silver again at Worlds, after winning the free skate. Orser turned professional following that season. He had not placed off a podium at any competition since 1982. During his competitive career, he trained at the Mariposa School of Skating.

Orser toured for many years with Stars on Ice. He skated his last with the show in 2007. He won an Emmy Award for his performance in Carmen on Ice. He was elected to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and to the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1995.

He is a head instructor at the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club and has coached South Korean ladies' skater Kim Yu-Na since 2006 and American men's skater Adam Rippon since December 2008.

Competitive highlights[]

Event 1976-1977 1977-1978 1978-1979 1979-1980 1980-1981 1981-1982 1982-1983 1983-1984 1984-1985 1985-1986 1986-1987 1987-1988
Winter Olympic Games 2nd 2nd
World Championships 6th 4th 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd
World Junior Championships 4th
Canadian Figure Skating Championships 1st N. 3rd J. 1st J. 4th 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
Skate Canada International 6th 2nd 2nd 1st 1st 1st
NHK Trophy 2nd 2nd
Nebelhorn Trophy 2nd
Grand Prix Coupe des Alples 1st
Novarat Trophy 1st
Vienna Cup 3rd
  • N = Novice level; J = Junior level

References[]

External links[]

Wikipedia-nostalgia-cropped This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original material was at Brian Orser. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Figure Skating Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the CC-by-SA License.
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