1980sCBSFigure SkatingJohn TeshScott HamiltonWorld Championships

Figure Skating – 1986 – World Championships – Mens Free Skate Finals – CZK Josef Sabovcik

Jozef (Jumping Joe) Sabovčík is a Slovak figure skater….who competed for Czechoslovakia….and is the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics bronze medalist….a two-time European champion in 1985 and 1986… and a six-time Czechoslovakian national champion…..whose quad toe loop at the 1986 European Championships was originally approved as the first quad jump landed in competition….but a few weeks later was deemed invalid due to a touchdown with his free foot.

Despite a knee injury, he had to compete at the 1986 World Championships (seen in this video herewith) because his federation did not believe he was really injured….after which he said, “It was the hardest 4½ minutes of my skating career, knowing that I had to finish, but could hardly walk, let alone skate.”.then after having undergone three knee operations…. he retired from competition that same year in 1986….so this video is one of Jumping Joe‘s final performance ever.

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