Elvis Stojko facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elvis Stojko
Stojko at Canada House during the 2002 Winter Olympics
Personal information
Country represented	Canada
Born	(1972-03-22) March 22, 1972 (age 53) Newmarket, Ontario
Height	1.70 m
Former coach	Uschi Keszler, Doug Leigh, Ghislain Briand
Skating club	Richmond Hill FSC
Retired	2006
Medal record Figure skating: Men's singles Representing  Canada Olympic Games Silver 1994 Lillehammer Singles Silver 1998 Nagano Singles World Championships Gold 1994 Chiba Singles Gold 1995 Birmingham Singles Gold 1997 Lausanne Singles Silver 1993 Prague Singles Silver 2000 Nice Singles Bronze 1992 Oakland Singles Four Continents Championships Gold 2000 Osaka Singles Bronze 1999 Halifax Singles Grand Prix Final Gold 1996–97 Hamilton Singles Silver 1995–96 Paris Singles Silver 1997–98 Munich Singles Silver 1999–2000 Lyon Singles Canadian Championships Gold 1994 Edmonton Men’s Singles Gold 1996 Ottawa Men’s Singles Gold 1997 Vancouver Men’s Singles Gold 1998 Hamilton Men’s Singles Gold 1999 Ottawa Men’s Singles Gold 2000 Calgary Men’s Singles Gold 2002 Hamilton Men’s Singles Silver 1990 Sudbury Men’s Singles Silver 1991 Saskatoon Men’s Singles Silver 1992 Moncton Men’s Singles Silver 1993 Hamilton Men’s Singles

Elvis Stojko (born March 22, 1972) is a famous Canadian figure skater. He is known for his powerful and athletic skating style. Stojko won three World Championships (1994, 1995, 1997) and two Olympic silver medals (1994, 1998). He was also the Canadian champion seven times.

Personal life

Elvis Stojko was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. His parents were big fans of the singer Elvis Presley, so they named their son after him. His father came to Canada from Slovenia in 1955, and his mother fled from Hungary in 1956. Stojko grew up in Richmond Hill, Ontario, where a hockey arena is named in his honor.

Besides skating, Stojko is skilled in Chinese martial arts. He has also helped with charities like Ronald McDonald Children's Charities in Canada.

In 2010, he married Mexican figure skater Gladys Orozco. They lived in Mexico for a few years before moving back to the Toronto area. They now live on a large property near Bowmanville, Ontario. In 2021, Stojko's name appeared in a large release of financial documents known as the Pandora Papers.

Skating career

Stojko started skating when he was only four years old. He won his first competition at age eleven. He became famous for his incredible jumps, especially the quadruple jump, which involves four full rotations in the air.

Early success and first quad jump

At the 1991 World Championships, Stojko made history. He became the first person to land a quadruple-double jump combination in a competition. A jump combination means doing two jumps one right after the other. To learn the quad, he studied videos of other great skaters like Kurt Browning and Brian Boitano.

He competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics and finished 7th. Just a month later, he won his first major international medal, a bronze at the 1992 World Championships. The next year, he won the silver medal at the World Championships.

1994: Olympic silver and first World title

In 1994, Stojko won his first Canadian national title, beating his rival Kurt Browning. At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway, he skated a strong short program and was in second place. He performed well in his free skate and won the silver medal.

Later that year, he won his first World Championship in Japan. His free skate program was set to music from the movie Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. He used his martial arts training to create a unique and powerful performance.

1995: Skating through injury

Stojko suffered a serious ankle injury before the 1995 Canadian Championships and couldn't finish his program. However, he was still allowed to compete at the 1995 World Championships.

Even though his ankle was not fully healed, he skated an amazing program. He was in second place after the short program but won the free skate to capture his second world title. His performance is remembered for his incredible determination.

1996–1997: New records and a third World title

At the 1996 World Championships, Stojko fell in his short program and was in seventh place. But in the free skate, he landed a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination. This was the first time anyone had landed a quad-triple combo in a major competition. This amazing performance moved him up to fourth place.

In the 1996-97 season, he won the Champions Series Final (now called the Grand Prix Final). At the 1997 World Championships, he was in fourth place after the short program. But during the free skate, other top skaters made mistakes or had to withdraw. Stojko seized the opportunity, landed his quad-triple combo, and won his third world title. He even received two perfect scores of 6.0 from the judges.

1998: Another Olympic silver medal

Stojko was a favorite to win gold at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. However, he was secretly dealing with a painful groin injury and the flu. He couldn't take strong painkillers because of drug testing rules.

During his long program, he decided not to attempt a quadruple jump, which likely cost him the gold medal. He later aggravated his injury on another jump but still completed his program with several more triple jumps. His courage earned him his second Olympic silver medal.

Final competitive years

Stojko continued to compete for several more years. He won a silver medal at the 2000 World Championships. His last major competition was the 2002 Winter Olympics, where he finished eighth. He retired from competitive skating in 2002.

Life after competition

After retiring, Stojko stayed involved in skating. He worked as a TV commentator and a judge on a skating show. He also began racing go-karts and competed in several series in Canada and Mexico.

He has also done some acting, appearing in the TV movie Ice Angel in 2000 and an episode of the Canadian TV show Murdoch Mysteries in 2019.

Stojko performing in the gala at the 2024 World Championships

Stojko returned to show skating and has been a main performer in the Canadian tour of Stars on Ice. He also performs in other ice shows, delighting audiences with his skating.

Accomplishments

• Three-time World Figure skating champion: 1994, 1995, 1997
• Two-time Olympic Silver medallist: 1994, 1998
• Seven-time Canadian Figure skating champion: 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002
• Four Continents champion: 2000
• Grand Prix Final Champion: 1996/1997
• First man to land a quadruple jump in combination (quadruple toe-loop, double toe-loop): 1991 World Championships
• First man to land a quadruple/triple jump combination (quadruple toe-loop, triple toe-loop): ISU Champions Series Final
• Inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
• Inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
• Inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2011.

Programs

Post-2002

Pre-2002

Results

GP: Champions Series / Grand Prix

See also

• List of Olympic medalists in figure skating