Brian Orser facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brian Orser
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Brian Orser in 2014
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Brian Ernest Orser
18 December 1961 Belleville, Ontario, Canada
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| Years active | 1977-present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6.5 in (169 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Rajesh Tiwari | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Brian Ernest Orser OC OLY (born 18 December 1961) is a Canadian former competitive and professional figure skater. He is also a very successful coach for Olympic champions. Brian Orser won two Olympic silver medals in figure skating in 1984 and 1988. He was also the 1987 World champion. Plus, he won the Canadian national championship eight times in a row from 1981 to 1988.
At the 1988 Winter Olympics, there was a famous competition. It was between Orser and American skater Brian Boitano. This event was so exciting that the media called it the "Battle of the Brians". After his competitive career, Orser became a professional skater. He performed with the famous show Stars on Ice for almost 20 years. As a coach, he has guided many top skaters to win big titles. These include Olympic champions Yuna Kim (2010) and Yuzuru Hanyu (2014, 2018). He also coached Javier Fernández to an Olympic bronze medal in 2018. Fernández also won two World titles in 2015 and 2016. Brian Orser works as a Skating Consultant at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club.
Contents
Early Life and Skating Start
Brian Orser was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in a town called Penetanguishene. He is the youngest of five children in his family.
First National Titles
Orser started his skating career by winning his first national title. This was at the novice level in 1977. The next year, he competed at the Junior World Championships. He finished in 4th place, just behind his future rival, Brian Boitano. In 1979, he won another national title, this time at the junior level.
Moving to the Senior Level
In 1980, Brian Orser moved up to the senior level of skating. He won a bronze medal at his first senior international competition, the Vienna Cup. He then placed 4th at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships. After this, he never finished off the podium at the national level again.
Making a Mark in Skating
The 1980–1981 season was important for Orser. He won a silver medal at the Nebelhorn Trophy. He also earned his first of eight National titles. In his first appearance at the World Championships, he placed 6th. The next season, he won his first medal at Skate Canada. He also improved to 4th place at the World Championships. In 1983, he won his first World medal, a bronze. This set him up well for the 1983–1984 Olympic season.
Competitive Highlights and Achievements
Brian Orser was known for his amazing jumps. He was the second man ever to land a triple Axel jump. He did this when he won his Canadian junior title in 1979. At that time, very few senior skaters even tried this difficult jump.
Mastering the Triple Axel
Over the next few years, Orser performed the triple Axel more often than anyone else. He was also very consistent with it. He became the first man to land a triple Axel at the Olympics. He did this in his free skate at the 1984 Winter Olympics. He won the silver medal at these Olympics, behind Scott Hamilton. He also won silver at the 1984 World Championships, again behind Hamilton. Orser's lower scores in the compulsory figures part of the competition kept him from winning gold.
Becoming a World Champion
After Scott Hamilton retired, Orser was expected to become the top skater. In the 1984–1985 season, he had a few mistakes at the World Championships. He finished second to Alexander Fadeev. Fadeev also performed the triple Axel. Orser then decided to include two triple Axels in his free skate. This would give him an advantage over Fadeev. He finally won the World Championships in 1987. At that event, he became the first skater to land two triple Axels in a free skate. He also landed three triple Axels in the entire competition.
The Battle of the Brians
Leading up to the 1988 Olympics, Orser worked with a sports psychologist. This helped him prepare mentally. He and Brian Boitano were the main rivals. Their competition was called the "Battle of the Brians". Orser had not lost a competition since 1986. At the Olympics, Orser was chosen to be the flag-bearer for Canada. He finished 3rd in the compulsory figures, 1st in the short program, and 2nd in the free skating. He won the silver medal overall. Brian Boitano won the gold medal, beating Orser by a very small amount (0.10 points).
Turning Professional
After the 1988 season, Orser turned professional. He had not finished lower than third place in any competition since 1982. During his competitive years, he trained at the Mariposa School of Skating. An arena in Orillia was named after him in 1984.
Professional Skating Career
Brian Orser started touring with Stars on Ice in 1988. He performed with them for almost 20 years, until 2007.
He also starred in a German skating film in 1990 called Carmen on Ice. He acted alongside his rival Brian Boitano and Katarina Witt. The movie told the story of Carmen through ice skating. Orser played the character of Escamillo.
Orser performed in many ice shows. He was known for being one of the few skaters who could do a backflip on the ice. In 2007, he broke his wrist while stepping backward off the ice. After this, he stopped doing backflips and performed less often in ice shows.
Coaching Career
Brian Orser is a head instructor at the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club. He works there with Tracy Wilson.
Current Students
He currently coaches several talented skaters, including:
Jason Brown (since 2018)
Corey Circelli (since 2013)
Jin Boyang (since 2022–23)
Rika Kihira (since 2021)
Pimmpida Lerdpraiwan (since 2024)- Grayson Long (since 2019)
- Kaiya Ruiter (since 2024)
- Hetty Shi (since 2024)
Shin Ji-a (since 2024)
Former Students
Orser has coached many successful skaters in the past, such as:
- Cha Jun-hwan (2015–2023): Won the 2022 Four Continents title and silver at the 2023 World Championships.
- Gabrielle Daleman (2015–2019): Won bronze at the 2017 World Championships.
Javier Fernández (2011–2019): Won Olympic bronze (2018), two World titles (2015, 2016), and seven European titles.- Yuzuru Hanyu (2012–2022): Won two Olympic titles (2014, 2018) and two World titles (2014, 2017).
- Yuna Kim (2007–2010): Won the 2009 World Championships and 2010 Olympic gold.
Evgenia Medvedeva (2018–2020): Won bronze at the 2019 World Championships.- Nam Nguyen (2012–2016): Won the 2014 World Junior Championships.
Awards and Honours
Brian Orser has received many awards and honours for his contributions to skating.
- He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1985.
- He was promoted to Officer of the Order of Canada in 1988.
- Orser and his co-stars won an Emmy Award for their performance in Carmen on Ice.
Halls of Fame
Brian Orser has been inducted into several halls of fame:
- Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (1989)
- Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (1995)
- Midland (Ontario) Sports Hall of Fame (1998)
- Penetanguishene Sports Hall of Fame (2003)
- World Figure Skating Hall of Fame (2009)
- Ontario Sports Hall of Fame (2012)
Personal Life
Brian Orser is openly gay. He is in a relationship with Rajesh Tiwari since 2008.
Images for kids
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Olympic Rings
See also
In Spanish: Brian Orser para niños
