Brian Boitano, born in 1963, American figure skater, winner of the 1988 Olympic gold medal in men's figure skating. Born in Sunnyvale, California, Boitano began ice skating lessons at the age of 8. That same year he won his first competition, in a “pixie boys” division. Before he was 12 years old he had won 17 regional medals, and in 1978 he won the juniors title at the United States Figure Skating Championships. He subsequently won four consecutive national titles at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships (1985-1988). In 1986 and 1988 Boitano won world championship titles, and in 1988 he won the Olympic gold medal.

Boitano is known for the quality of his technique. At the 1983 world championships, he was the first skater ever to land each of six different triple jumps in a single routine. Reaching for more grace and expression in his work, he hired Canadian skater and choreographer Sandra Bezic to design his routines. Her help in streamlining his performances was credited with his victory at the 1988 Olympics. Boitano's freestyle performance, in which he executed eight triple jumps without a flaw, was considered one of the best in the history of the games. After the 1988 Olympics he turned professional and toured Europe and the United States. With German Olympic figure skating gold medalist Katarina Witt, he starred in the television specials “Brian Boitano: Canvas of Ice” (1988) and “Carmen on Ice” (1990). Boitano and Witt both won Emmy Awards in 1990 for this latter show. After professional skaters were admitted into Olympic competition, Boitano returned to skate in the 1994 Olympic Games at Lillehammer, Norway, where he placed sixth.