Elvis Stojko

Elvis Stojko, (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).

Early and personal life Stojko was born on March 22, 1972, in Newmarket, to a Hungarian mother and Slovenian father. He was named for Elvis Presley, of whom his parents were fans. His father arrived in Canada on a boat in 1955 and his mother, Irene , fled the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956. Stojko grew up in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Stojko competed in the 2005 WKA Canadian Championships and placed first in the Chinese martial arts division. He settled in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico in 2001. They now live on 140 acres near Bowmanville.

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

Career 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. 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.

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.

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–double toe loop was the only quadruple combination performed by a skater in the 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. His quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination was the first combination of its kind successfully landed in history.

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. 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 the 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 Season Exhibition 2017–18 Through the Ghost L'Oiseau Eclipse Gladiator The Battle The Might of Rome Slaves to Rome 1999–2000 The Mummy (1999 film) soundtrack 1998–1999 Lion Merlin (miniseries) soundtrack 1997–1998 The Ghost and the Darkness soundtrack 1996–1997 Stairway to Heaven instrumental Total Recall soundtrack The Mission soundtrack Time, Forward!: II. Ditty from Sviridov: Time Forward! by the USSR TV Radio Large Symphony Orchestra

Results Senior level GP: Champions Series / Grand Prix