Elvis Stojko

Elvis Stojko, MSC MSM (born March 22, 1972) is a Canadian figure skater. He was a three-time World champion (1994, 1995, 1997), two-time Olympic silver medallist (1994, 1998), and seven-time Canadian champion (1994, 1996–2000, and 2002).

Elvis Stojko
Stojko at Canada House during the 2002 Winter Olympics
Personal information
Country representedCanada
Born (1972-03-22) March 22, 1972
Newmarket, Ontario
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Former coachUschi Keszler, Doug Leigh, Ghislain Briand
Skating clubRichmond Hill FSC
Retired2006
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Figure skating: Men's singles
Olympic Games
1994 Lillehammer Singles
1998 Nagano Singles
World Championships
1994 Chiba Singles
1995 Birmingham Singles
1997 Lausanne Singles
1993 Prague Singles
2000 Nice Singles
1992 Oakland Singles
Four Continents Championships
2000 Osaka Singles
1999 Halifax Singles
Grand Prix Final
1996–97 Hamilton Singles
1995–96 Paris Singles
1997–98 Munich Singles
1999–2000 Lyon Singles

Personal life

Stojko was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada to a Hungarian mother and Slovenian father and was named after Elvis Presley, of whom his parents were fans.[1] His father arrived in Canada on a boat in 1955 and his mother, Irenee, fled from the Soviet invasion in 1956. Stojko grew up in Richmond Hill, Ontario.[2] There is a hockey arena named after him in Richmond Hill.[3]

Stojko competed in the 2005 WKA Canadian Championships and placed first in the Chinese martial arts division.[4] He has been involved with Ronald McDonald Children's Charities in Canada. He settled in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico in 2001.[5] On June 20, 2010, he married Mexican figure skater Gladys Orozco in Las Vegas.[6] They resided in Ajijic[7] until June 2014, when they relocated to Toronto.[8] They now live on 140 acres near Bowmanville.[9]

Career

Stojko began skating at the age of four and won his first trophy when he was six.

1990–91 to 1992–93

At the 1991 World Championships, Stojko became the first person to land a quadruple-double jump combination. He later said he had studied VHS tapes of Kurt Browning, Brian Boitano, Alexander Fadeyev, and Jozef Sabovčík to help him master the quad.[10]

At the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, he finished 7th despite skating a technically strong routine, but a month later he made his first appearance on a major international podium when he placed third at the 1992 World Championships behind winner Viktor Petrenko and Kurt Browning. In 1993 at the World Figure Skating Championships he finished second, once again behind Kurt Browning.

1993–94 season: Silver at Olympics and first World title

At the 1994 Canadian Championships in Edmonton, Stojko defeated Kurt Browning in the free skate to win his first national title. At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway at the Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre, he skated well enough in the short program to place second, putting him in good position heading into the free skate, after three of the pre-Olympic favourites (Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko & Kurt Browning) had disappointing short programs. Stojko had a strong performance in the free skate, despite popping a planned triple axel combination (which he later replaced by doing another triple Axel combination spontaneously) and won the silver medal. Stojko entered the 1994 World Championships in Chiba, Japan, as the favourite and won his first world championship with a performance that included another quadruple jump.

1994–95 season: Second World title

Stojko sustained a serious ankle injury during practice for the 1995 Canadian Championships, but was determined to compete anyway. He began his short program but was not able to complete it due to the injury, and was awarded a bye to the 1995 World Championships. His 1995 World Championship skate is regarded as one of his most impressive competitive outings because he completed his full routine despite his still-unhealed injury. Although in second place after the short programme behind American Todd Eldredge, Stojko won the free skate - and his second world championship - with a performance that included a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination in the closing seconds of his programme.

1995–96 season

At the 1996 World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, Stojko fell on his triple axel combo jump, leaving him in seventh place after the short programme. In the free programme he included a quadruple jump combination (the only one in the competition) and moved him all the way up to fourth, just off the podium behind American Rudy Galindo, who won the bronze. His quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop was the first ever performed by a skater in a major competition.

1996–97 season: Champions Series title

Stojko won the 1996–97 Champions Series Final (Grand Prix Final) in Hamilton, Ontario, skating to the movie soundtrack of "Dragon Heart". Two other skaters also landed quad jumps during the free skate (Ilia Kulik and Alexei Urmanov), but not in combination as Stojko did.

At the 1997 World Championships, he again had a strong short programme and placed fourth going into the free. Approximately halfway through the free skate, Alexei Urmanov, leader after the short programme, withdrew from the event with an injury, while Ilia Kulik, in third, had a performance that put him out of contention. Stojko then took the ice and landed his quad-triple combination to earn two perfect scores of 6.0 and another world title.

1997–98 season: Silver at Nagano Olympics

Stojko entered the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan as the heavy favorite and was expected to become the first Canadian man to win an Olympic gold medal. He did not disclose to the media that he had suffered a groin injury and was also recovering from a flu that had struck many other athletes during the Games. He was unable to take painkillers due to the possibility of failing his drug test. He later stated in an interview that he was already feeling stiff and sore during the warm-up prior to the long program, and therefore downgraded his planned quadruple toe loop to a triple, likely costing him a chance at gold. Later in the programme, on the landing of a triple axel, Stojko aggravated the injury even further, saying he "felt something snap." He still managed to successfully complete four more triples after that point, and won the silver medal.

In February 1998, Stojko published a book, Heart and Soul, about his career.

1998–99 to 2001–02

Stojko finished fourth in the 1999 World Championships. After the 1998–99 season, Stojko changed coaches from Doug Leigh to Uschi Keszler and Tim Wood.[11] He won silver at the 2000 World Championships.

Stojko placed eighth at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He turned professional in 2002.

2003–present

Stojko was a commentator for CTV/TSN for the men's event at the 2003 World Championships in Washington, D.C. In 2006, he was a celebrity judge on the WE tv series Skating's Next Star, created and produced by Major League Figure Skating. The show was hosted by Kristi Yamaguchi.

Stojko briefly reinstated as an Olympic-eligible skater and publicly declared his intention to compete in the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, before changing his mind and resuming his professional skating career. On August 10, 2006, he skated a farewell performance at a gala for the Mariposa skating club, where he trained most of his amateur career. He took a hiatus from active figure skating for several years.

Stojko provided commentary and analysis for Yahoo! Sports during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[12] He wrote an article criticizing the figure skating judging system used during the 2010 Olympics, saying that it did not reward athletes for undertaking quadruple jumps.

Stojko participated in ISF Entertainment's acrobatic ice show, "A Rock & Roll Fantasy", in the July 2010 Calgary Stampede.[13]

Since 2011, Stojko has been racing karts in the Canadian Rotax DD2 Master Class and the SKUSA Mexico Series (S1 and S4 classes). He is sponsored by emzone,[14] a brand of Empack Spraytech Inc.

After Stojko relocated back from Mexico to Canada, he resumed his show skating career. He has participated in the Canadian tour of Stars on Ice since 2016,[15] the show skating events of the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto,[16] and Busch Gardens' Christmas Town events in Williamsburg, Virginia since 2015.[17]

In 2016 Stojko played the role of Mercury in a TV-movie Ice Girls.[18]

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
  • Winner of the Lionel Conacher Award: 1994[19]
  • First man to land a quadruple jump in combination (quadruple toe-loop, double toe-loop): 1991 World Championships[20]
  • First man to land a quadruple/triple jump combination (quadruple toe-loop, triple toe-loop): 1997 Grand Prix Final
  • Inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.[21]
  • Inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.[22]
  • Inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2011.[23]

Programs

Post-2002
Season Exhibition
2017–18
2016–17
2015–16

Pre-2002
Season Short program Free skating
2001–02
[2]
  • Lion
    (from The Best of Kodo album)
    by Kodo
2000–01
[11]
1999–2000
1998–1999
1997–1998 [31]
1996–1997 [32]
1995–1996 [33]
1994–1995 [34]
1993–1994
  • Medley of New Wave and Dance Tunes
  • Frogs in Space
1992–1993 [35]
1991–1992 [36]

Results

GP: Champions Series / Grand Prix

International[37]
Event 89–90 90–91 91–92 92–93 93–94 94–95 95–96 96–97 97–98 98–99 99–00 00–01 01–02
Olympics7th2nd2nd8th
Worlds9th6th3rd2nd1st1st4th1stWD4th2nd10th
Four Continents3rd1st
GP Final2nd1st2nd2nd
GP Skate America8th4th3rd
GP Skate Canada1st1st1st1st1st2nd2nd2nd
GP Nations Cup1st1st6th
GP France3rdWD
GP NHK Trophy2nd1st1stWD
Piruetten1st
Karl Schäfer2nd
National[37]
Canadian Champ.2nd2nd2nd2nd1st1st1st1st1st1st1st
WD: Withdrew
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gollark: Well, I was able to hack into Discord's distributed database system.
gollark: https://i.osmarks.net/memes-or-something/potatos.gif
gollark: https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/452775413509259265/832320147112853545/3dgifmaker83815.gif

See also

References
  1. "WINTER OLYMPICS; This Guy Twists and Twirls And Turns by the Name Elvis". The New York Times. 1994.
  2. "Elvis STOJKO: 2001/2002". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 16, 2002.
  3. https://www.richmondhill.ca/Modules/Facilities/Detail.aspx?CategoryIds=&FacilityTypeIds=&Keywords=&Page=6&CloseMap=false&Scroll=true&id=0a643d9d-cb26-4f8a-a90f-915295b5438c
  4. "MARTIAL ARTS | Elvis Stojko | The Official Site". elvisstojko.ca. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  5. Doolittle, Robyn (October 24, 2011). "Stojko swaps frigid rinks for tropic sun". Toronto Star. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  6. "Stojko marries Mexican figure skater". Calgary Herald. CanWest News Service. July 7, 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-11-17. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  7. Buffery, Steve (October 16, 2011). "Stojko jumps from the spotlight". Toronto Sun. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  8. Kirk, Jenny; Lease, Dave (19 November 2014). "TSL's Interview with Elvis Stojko: Part One". The Skating Lesson. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  9. https://www.mississauga.com/living-story/6997392-elvis-stojko-from-racetrack-to-winery/
  10. Kwong, PJ (October 29, 2010). "The Quad and The Canadians". CBC Sports. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  11. "Elvis STOJKO: 2000/2001". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001.
  12. "Elvis Stojko". Yahoo! Sports Canada. Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  13. Tiangha, Reginald (July 9, 2010). "Spotlight on: Everything Else!". Calgary Stampede. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  14. "emzone Sponsors Olympic Medalist Elvis Stojko" (Press release). emzone. August 1, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  15. "Canadian Figure Skating Icon Elvis Stojko Returns to the Stars on Ice Tour" (Press release). Stars on Ice. November 25, 2015.
  16. Ibrahim, Salma (August 18, 2017). "What's new at this year's CNE? East Coast Kitchen Party, Gaming Garage and more". CBC.
  17. Joseph, Natalie (December 22, 2016). "Olympian Stojko, star of Busch Gardens' 'Twas That Night'". Daily Press.
  18. "Elvis Stojko and young Skate Canada skaters set for TV movie debut in "Ice Girls"". Skate Canada. March 8, 2016.
  19. "Elvis Stojko, Figure Skating - Winners - Greatest Sporting Moments - The Lionel Conacher and Bobbie Rosenfeld Winners". conacher-rosenfeld.ca. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  20. "USATODAY.com - Men leaps and bounds ahead in skating". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  21. "Canada's Sports Hall of Fame". sportshall.ca. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  22. "Elvis Stojko". Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. 21 April 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  23. "Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame". olympic.ca. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  24. "Stars on Ice - Music: 2018 Investors Group Stars on Ice presented by Lindt". Stars on Ice. Archived from the original on May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  25. "Music and Skater Soundtracks - 2017 Investors Group Stars on Ice presented by Lindt". Stars on Ice. Archived from the original on May 23, 2017.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  26. "Music and Skater Soundtracks - 2017 Investors Group Stars on Ice presented by Lindt". Stars on Ice. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8w1XCYwmkk
  28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUTgqrc7PjM
  29. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_x2mjVnLSA
  30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSBvG7ElFM8
  31. http://shaste_1.tripod.com/id12.html
  32. http://shaste_1.tripod.com/id12.html
  33. http://shaste_1.tripod.com/id12.html
  34. http://shaste_1.tripod.com/id12.html
  35. http://shaste_1.tripod.com/id12.html
  36. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9HrXeSysRA
  37. "Elvis STOJKO". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
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