John Misha Petkevich (born March 3, 1949 in Minneapolis) is an American former figure skater. He is the 1971 U.S. national champion and North American champion….who placed 6th at the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics…..and 5th at the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics. His best finish at the World Championships was 4th in 1972….as he placed 5th in 1969, 1970 and 1971. Petkevich was the recipient of an unusual trophy….when at the 1947 World Figure Skating Championships, Ulrich Salchow was particularly impressed by Dick Button’s skating….and gave him one of his own trophies….then following the 1972 Olympics, Button passed on Salchow’s trophy to Petkevich….who in 2010, passed the trophy to Paul Wylie….while keeping alive the meaning of the trophy which is meant to reward a skater for having had a material impact on the sport.
Brian Orser is a Canadian former competitive and professional figure skater…..who is the 1984 Sarajebo Olympics….and the 1988 Calgary Olympics silver medalist….the 1987 World champion….and the eight-time Canadian national champion from 1981 to 1989. At the 1988 Winter Olympics, the rivalry between Orser and American figure skater Brian Boitano….who were the two favorites to win the gold medal….when they captured the media attention in what was described as the “Battle of the Brians”…..as Orser was undefeated in the 1986-1987 season….and had not lost a competition since losing to Boitano at the 1986 Worlds. At the Olympics, Orser served as the flag-bearer for Canada during the opening ceremonies. He placed 3rd in compulsory figures segment of the competition, 1st in the short program, and second in the free skating, winning the silver medal overall….as Brian Boitano won the gold medal, defeating Orser by .10 of a point.
