Brian Orser

Brian Orser was born in Belleville, Ontario, in 1961. He started skating at a young age and began training with coach Doug Leigh. In 1979, Orser won the national junior title and became the first skater to land a triple axel in his age group during a competitive program. He transitioned to senior competition, where he frequently performed triple axels. At the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics, despite being seventh after the compulsory figures, he earned a silver medal after successfully landing a triple axel in his free routine, marking the first time this maneuver was performed at the Olympic Games. He secured another silver medal at the World Championships that year, continuing to demonstrate technical skill despite lower scores in compulsory figures, which were later removed from international competitions.

Orser’s career intensified with a notable rivalry against American skater Brian Boitano, dubbed “The Battle of the Brians.” After earning silver medals at the 1985 and 1986 World Championships, Orser achieved his first World Championship gold medal in 1987, finishing ahead of Boitano. In 1988, he served as Canada’s flag bearer at the Calgary Winter Olympics. He again competed closely with Boitano, ultimately earning a second Olympic silver medal by a narrow margin of 0.1 points. Orser turned professional after the 1988 season, performing with Stars on Ice for nearly two decades and starring in the 1990 German skating film “Carmen on Ice,” for which he won an Emmy Award.

Following his professional skating career, Orser transitioned into coaching and choreography. He became a highly successful figure skating coach, notably guiding South Korean skater Yuna Kim to an Olympic gold medal at the Vancouver 2010 Games. He also coached Yuzuru Hanyu to two Olympic titles in 2014 and 2018, and Javier Fernández to an Olympic bronze medal in 2018, along with two World titles in 2015 and 2016. He currently serves as head instructor at the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club, continuing to mentor top international skaters.