Kurt Browning

Kurt Browning, born in 1966, Canadian figure skater, the first skater to complete a quadruple jump in world competition. He made the jump in 1988 in Budapest, Hungary.

Born and raised on a ranch in Caroline, Alberta, Browning began skating when he was 3 years old, in order to play ice hockey. When he was 16 he began training full-time as a figure skater in Edmonton, Alberta. At age 21 Browning competed in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta, and placed eighth in the men’s singles competition. Later that year at the world championships in Budapest, he successfully completed the quadruple jump but only finished sixth.

In 1989 Browning finished first in men’s singles at the world championships in Paris, France. He again won the title at the 1990 world championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; the 1991 world championships in Munich, Germany; and the 1993 world championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia. He was favored to win a medal at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France, and at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, but he failed to finish among the top three at either Games.

Browning began skating professionally in 1994. His awards include Sports Federation of Canada Athlete of the Year in 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1993. In 1990 he was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Association’s Amateur Sports Hall of Fame.