On this day in 1984, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, won gold at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and became the highest scoring figure skaters of all time for a single programme, after skating to Maurice Ravel’s Boléro. Watched by a British television audience of more than 24 million people, the legendary routine received twelve perfect 6.0s and six 5.9s, which included artistic impression scores of 6.0 from every judge.

The pair turned professional following the 1984 World Championships, and
retired from competitive skating for good in 1998. They regained their amateur status briefly ten years later in 1994 to compete in the Olympics once again.

Although remaining close friends, the pair did not skate together again until they were enticed out of retirement to take part in ITV’s Dancing on Ice. Their career was portrayed in the 2018 biopic Torvill and Dean.

Both from Nottingham, where access to the National Ice Centre  is through Bolero Square, in honour of the pair’s Olympic achievements.

23 March, 2019