Figure Skating Costume worn by Brian Boitano at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada

Object Details

Description (Brief): Figure skating costume worn by Brian Boitano during the "Napoleon" number of his long program in which he won the gold medal. The costume is dark blue and designed in a military style with gold braid at the high collar and on the shoulders. It is trimmed in maroon with a marron sash at the waist. There are black stirrups at the end of each pant leg to hold the pants down while skating. The front flap of the costume snaps to conceal a zipper front. Brian Boitano (b. 1963) was the first American figure skater to land a triple axel. He also invented the “Tano triple lutz” jump where he raises his left arm above his head while completing a triple lutz. He was a four-time U.S. National Champion (1985-88) as well as a two-time World Champion (1986 and 1988). His time skating in the Calgary Olympics was referred to as the “Battle of the Brians” due to the fierce competition between Boitano and Canadian figure skater Brian Orser. The gold and silver medals came down to a tie breaker which was won by Boitano because he received higher marks for technical merit by the two judges who had given Boitano and Orser tied scores overall. In December 2013, Boitano came out publicly as gay after being appointed by President Obama to the U.S. delegation for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Location: Currently not on view

1988

Physical Description: fabric, polyester (overall material); fabric, cotton (overall material); metal (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 147 cm x 48 cm; 57 7/8 in x 18 7/8 in

National Museum of American History

GUID (Link to Original Record): https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-9583-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa