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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
Born (1972-03-22) March 22, 1972 (age 52)
Newmarket, Ontario
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Figure skating career
CountryCanada
Skating clubRichmond Hill FSC
Retired2006
Medal record
Figure skating: Men's singles
Representing  Canada
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1994 Lillehammer Singles
Silver medal – second place 1998 Nagano Singles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1994 Chiba Singles
Gold medal – first place 1995 Birmingham Singles
Gold medal – first place 1997 Lausanne Singles
Silver medal – second place 1993 Prague Singles
Silver medal – second place 2000 Nice Singles
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Oakland Singles
Four Continents Championships
Gold medal – first place 2000 Osaka Singles
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Halifax Singles
Grand Prix Final
Gold medal – first place 1996–97 Hamilton Singles
Silver medal – second place 1995–96 Paris Singles
Silver medal – second place 1997–98 Munich Singles
Silver medal – second place 1999–2000 Lyon Singles

Personal life

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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, Irene (Hungarian: Irén), fled the Soviet invasion of Hungary 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.[citation needed] 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]

On October 3, 2021, Stojko was revealed to have been named in the Pandora Papers by the CBC.[10]

Career

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

1990–91 to 1992–93

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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.[11]

At the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville,[12] 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

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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.

For Stojko's free skating program this season, he used music from the soundtrack of Dragon, the 1993 film biography about Bruce Lee. He was able to demonstrate his interest in karate and tai chi by incorporating movements from his extensive study of the disciplines into the program.[13]

1994–95 season: Second World title

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.[14] 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.

He appeared as a hockey player Doug, in 2000's tv movie Ice Angel.

2003–present

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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.[15] 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.[16]

Since 2011, Stojko has been racing karts in the Canadian Rotax DD2 Master Class and the SKUSA Mexico Series (S1 and S4 classes).

 
Stojko performing in the gala at the 2024 World Championships

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,[17] the show skating events of the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto,[18] and Busch Gardens' Christmas Town events in Williamsburg, Virginia since 2015.[19]

In 2016 Stojko played the role of Mercury in a TV-movie Ice Girls.[20]

Stojko was named in the Pandora Papers in 2021.

Accomplishments

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  • 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[21]
  • First man to land a quadruple jump in combination (quadruple toe-loop, double toe-loop): 1991 World Championships[22]
  • First man to land a quadruple/triple jump combination (quadruple toe-loop, triple toe-loop): ISU Champions Series Final[23]
  • Inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.[24]
  • Inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.[25]
  • Inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2011.[26]

Programs

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Post-2002

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Season Exhibition
2017–18
2016–17
2015–16

Pre-2002

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Season Short program Free skating
2001–02
[2]
  • Lion
    (from The Best of Kodo album)
    by Kodo
2000–01
[14]
1999–2000
1998–1999
1997–1998 [34]
1996–1997 [34]
1995–1996 [34]
1994–1995 [34]
1993–1994
  • Medley of New Wave and Dance Tunes
  • Frogs in Space
1992–1993 [34]
1991–1992 [35]

Results

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GP: Champions Series / Grand Prix

International[36]
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
Olympics 7th 2nd 2nd 8th
Worlds 9th 6th 3rd 2nd 1st 1st 4th 1st WD 4th 2nd 10th
Four Continents 3rd 1st
GP Final 2nd 1st 2nd 2nd
GP Skate America 8th 4th 3rd
GP Skate Canada 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd
GP Nations Cup 1st 1st 6th
GP France 3rd WD
GP NHK Trophy 2nd 1st 1st WD
Piruetten 1st
Karl Schäfer 2nd
National[36]
Canadian Champ. 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
WD: Withdrew

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "WINTER OLYMPICS; This Guy Twists and Twirls And Turns by the Name Elvis". The New York Times. 1994.
  2. ^ a b "Elvis STOJKO: 2001/2002". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 16, 2002.
  3. ^ "Parks and Facilities - City of Richmond Hill".
  4. ^ "MARTIAL ARTS | Elvis Stojko | The Official Site". elvisstojko.ca. Archived from the original on 2018-01-16. 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ Lefko, Perry (December 5, 2016). "Elvis Stojko - from racetrack to winery". Mississauga News. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  10. ^ "Huge 'Pandora Papers' leak exposes secret offshore accounts of politicians, celebrities and billionaires | CBC News".
  11. ^ Kwong, PJ (October 29, 2010). "The Quad and The Canadians". CBC Sports. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  12. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Elvis Stojko". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2016-12-04.
  13. ^ Kestnbaum, Ellyn (2003). Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning. Middleton, Connecticut: Wesleyan Publishing Press. p. 193. ISBN 0-8195-6641-1.
  14. ^ a b "Elvis STOJKO: 2000/2001". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001.
  15. ^ "Elvis Stojko". Yahoo! Sports Canada. Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  16. ^ Tiangha, Reginald (July 9, 2010). "Spotlight on: Everything Else!". Calgary Stampede. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  17. ^ "Canadian Figure Skating Icon Elvis Stojko Returns to the Stars on Ice Tour" (Press release). Stars on Ice. November 25, 2015.
  18. ^ Ibrahim, Salma (August 18, 2017). "What's new at this year's CNE? East Coast Kitchen Party, Gaming Garage and more". CBC.
  19. ^ Joseph, Natalie (December 22, 2016). "Olympian Stojko, star of Busch Gardens' 'Twas That Night'". Daily Press. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  20. ^ "Elvis Stojko and young Skate Canada skaters set for TV movie debut in "Ice Girls"". Skate Canada. March 8, 2016.
  21. ^ "Elvis Stojko, Figure Skating - Winners - Greatest Sporting Moments - The Lionel Conacher and Bobbie Rosenfeld Winners". conacher-rosenfeld.ca. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  22. ^ "USATODAY.com - Men leaps and bounds ahead in skating". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  23. ^ Wilner, Barry (1 March 1997). "Stojko hits first quad-triple ever, wins title". Associated Press. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  24. ^ "Canada's Sports Hall of Fame". sportshall.ca. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  25. ^ "Elvis Stojko". oshof.ca. Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. 21 April 2014. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  26. ^ "Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame". olympic.ca. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  27. ^ a b "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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  28. ^ a b "Music and Skater Soundtracks - 2017 Investors Group Stars on Ice presented by Lindt". Stars on Ice. Archived from the original on May 23, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  29. ^ a b "Music and Skater Soundtracks - 2017 Investors Group Stars on Ice presented by Lindt". Stars on Ice. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  30. ^ Elvis Stojko CAN - 2000 World Championships SP. Sk8FraSch. March 3, 2016. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2021 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ Elvis Stojko CAN - 2000 World Championships LP. Sk8FraSch. March 4, 2016. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2021 – via YouTube.
  32. ^ Elvis Stojko CAN - 1999 World Championships SP. Sk8FraSch. November 11, 2015. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2021 – via YouTube.
  33. ^ Elvis Stojko CAN - 1999 World Championships LP. Sk8FraSch. December 4, 2015. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2021 – via YouTube.
  34. ^ a b c d e "Elvis' Music".
  35. ^ Elvis Stojko LP 1992 Albertville Winter Olympic Games. Benoit Lefebvre. April 18, 2009. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2021 – via YouTube.
  36. ^ a b "Elvis STOJKO". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
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