Brian Boitano

Brian Anthony Boitano (born October 22, 1963) is an American figure skater from Sunnyvale, California. He is the 1988 Olympic champion, the 1986 and 1988 World Champion, and the 1985–1988 U.S. National Champion. He turned professional following the 1988 season. He returned to competition in 1993 and competed at the 1994 Winter Olympics, where he placed sixth.

Early life

Brian Boitano was born in Mountain View, California, and as an adult has lived in San Francisco. Boitano is a graduate of Marian A. Peterson High School in Sunnyvale, California.

Figure skating career

Early career

Brian Boitano first made his mark on the international scene when he won the bronze medal at the 1978 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, beating future rival Brian Orser for that medal.

In 1982 Boitano became the first American to land a triple axel. In 1987 he introduced his signature jump, the 'Tano triple lutz' in which the skater raises his left arm above his head. He attempted a quadruple jump throughout the 1986–87 season and at the 1988 World Figure Skating Championships, but did not cleanly land the jump; he double-footed the landing on two occasions.