Editing Brian Boitano (section)

===1988 Olympics: Battle of the Brians===
{{Main|Battle of the Brians}}
Going into the Olympics, Boitano and [[Brian Orser]] each had won a world title and each had an excellent, balanced repertoire. Boitano was known as the slightly better technician and Orser as the better artist.
<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harvey |first=Randy |date=1988-02-20 |title=WINTER OLYMPICS : THE BATTLE OF THE BRIANS BEGUILES : But to Boitano and Orser, This Is Just Another Duel Between Friends |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-20-sp-11164-story.html |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
{{according to whom|date=March 2023}} Adding to the rivalry, Boitano and Orser were both performing military-themed programs. Boitano's free skate was set to music from ''[[Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story|Napoleon and Josephine]]'', the television miniseries. For his free skate, Boitano wore a blue stretch suit with red braids and [[Epaulette|epaulets]], and used military gestures and postures as much as his music allowed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Battle of the Brians: A Retrospective {{!}} U.S. Figure Skating |url=https://www.usfigureskating.org/news/article/battle-brians-retrospective |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=www.usfigureskating.org |date=September 16, 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kestnbaum |first=Ellyn |title=Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning |publisher=Wesleyan Publishing Press |year=2003 |isbn=0-8195-6641-1 |location=Middleton, Connecticut |pages=193}}</ref>

The [[Battle of the Brians]] at the [[figure skating at the 1988 Winter Olympics|1988 Winter Olympics]] was the highlight of Boitano's amateur career. Boitano and Orser were effectively tied going into the [[free skating]] portion of the event and whoever won that portion would win the event. [[Alexander Vladimirovich Fadeyev|Alexander Fadeev]] had won the [[compulsory figures]] section of the competition, with Boitano second and Orser third. In the [[Short program (figure skating)|short program]], Orser placed first and Boitano second. The [[free skating]] was, at the time, worth 50% of the score, and so Boitano's lead would not be enough to hold him in first place if he lost the free skate.

Boitano skated a clean, technically excellent long program, with eight triple jumps, including two axels, and a triple flip-triple toe loop combination.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8p3EhqI94s&t=95s |title=Video 1988 Winter Olympics Free Skate|website=[[YouTube]] |date=May 4, 2017 }}</ref> Landing his second triple axel jump cleanly was probably a critical factor in the battle. Orser made one small mistake on a jump and omitted his planned second triple axel. Boitano won the battle in a 5–4 split.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-01-12 |title=The Battle of the Brians |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sportslongform/entry/the-battle-of-the-brians |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=cbc.ca}}</ref> It was later discovered that the Canadian Figure Skating Association had engaged in "vote trading" with several countries on the judging panel, particularly East Germany and the USSR.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} This ultimately backfired, as the Soviet judge refused to follow this agreement and voting "with his conscience," placing Boitano first.  Had he followed his federation's directive, Boitano would have lost the gold medal.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} The judge was promptly suspended by his federation. Experts questioned why the scores were so close between the two skaters because Boitano had two triple axels, two triple flips and a triple triple combination, elements that were not included in Orser's program.

With his win, Boitano became the first Olympic champion to land the full complement of six types of triple jumps.<ref name=":3" /> Boitano won the gold medal, wearing skates with American flag appliqués. These are now part of the collections of the [[National Museum of American History]] at the [[Smithsonian Institution]].

Following the Olympics, both Orser and Boitano went to the [[1988 World Figure Skating Championships|1988 World Championships]], which Boitano won.<ref name=":3" /> Boitano turned professional soon after.