Brian Orser is a Canadian figure skater, world champion, Olympic silver medalist. After the end of his singles career, he became a successful coach, among his students are the winners of the most prestigious competitions.
Childhood and youth
Brian was born in 1961 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. The future skater was the youngest child among 5 brothers and sisters. The family did not belong to the wealthy, but the Orseurs lived together, the children were given a lot of attention.
Parents noticed their son's penchant for figure skating and sent him to a sports school. There it became clear that it was necessary to start earlier: at the time of the start of training, Brian was already 9 years old. However, his first coach Linda Leaver decided to take a chance.
Skater career
Orser started out with solo skating straight away. He won his first championship in 1977, but the next year was less successful: at the World Junior Championships, the promising single skater took only fourth place. The loss did not discourage the young skater. Already at the next competitions, he again became the champion, and since 1981 he firmly took the top step of the podium at all national championships.
In 1984, Orser won the silver medal at the Olympics. He succeeded in something that no single skater did - a perfectly clean triple axel. At the next Games, the seven-time champion of the country carried the flag of Canada, but did not become the champion - Brian Boitano was ahead of him, while Orser got silver. After the Olympics, the athlete announced that he was ending his career as a skater.
Coaching activities
After retiring from amateur sports, Orser performed in ice shows for 17 years. However, over the years, health began to fail, it was necessary to fundamentally change the field of activity. A solution was found quickly - the former champion became a coach, heading the figure skating department at one of the sports schools in Toronto. Brian's style of work is based on identifying the strongest sides of his charges, the right motivation and psychological support.
Among the star students of Orser are Kim Yu-Na, Javier Fernandez, Yuzuru Hanyu, Elizabeth Tursynbaeva, Sonia Lafuente. Recently, the silver medalist of the 2018 Olympics, Russian woman Evgenia Medvedeva, moved under the wing of the Canadian coach.
Personal life
Brian Orser is single and has no children. For a long time, he hid his unconventional orientation, fearing that this could become an obstacle in his sports career. However, later he nevertheless decided to come out of the shadows and met with full understanding among his colleagues.
Today, Orser has a close relationship with Rajesh Tiwari, the director of his foundation. Photos of the couple regularly appear in print, which absolutely does not bother the students and colleagues of the outstanding coach. Orser himself is sure that his personal life has never been a hindrance to work, he gives all the best to people. His charges live on the same principle. Perhaps this is the guarantee of their victories - present and future.
