This program highlights all of Paul’s immaculate technique and attention to every single detail. Even the costume is simple and elegant. He won gold in my eyes and everyone else’s to be honest. And to think people wrote him off, what a hero. This performance is my idea of an Olympic moment.
100%! I made a comment in this space years ago that must have been before I watched Petrenko's and Barna's performances. When I reviewed those performances and returned to watch this one again, I saw that Wiley's program was significantly better in presentation and artistry and arguably better in technical merit if you consider that his errors were less serious. Wiley should have won the gold.
I keep coming back to watch this video. I don’t think there is a more thrilling Olympic moment than Paul Wylie’s Olympic win. His musicality is unrivaled and it’s not just about the jumps, it’s all about the flow of all the elements.
Paul won that night. Also the night before. Already people had fallen in love with this beautiful skater. I watch all his videos he had everybody's attention. We all had hope for a great performance and the world got it. Love his smile his personality and showmanship. Pure class nobody has captured the hearts the way he did. Pure natural what a beautiful man he is to be admired. Skating is a tough sport hours of practice dedication you have to love it.
Paul should have won the gold medal. Period. His short program was absolutely flawless, but the judges held him back terribly with outrageous 5.3/5.4 scores for technical and not much better for artistic. He should easily have gone into the LP in first or second place, and there should never have been so much scoring distance between him and Petrenko who was clearly "favored", as it was his time to "take his turn". Even with a few minor errors, Paul's gorgeous LP was easily better both artistically and technically than Petrenko, who blew three jumps, falling on and/or completely out of them. If Paul hadn't been held back in the SP, and the LP scored fairly, he easily would have won gold, but the judges weren't about to award the Olympic gold medal to a skater who'd never won a national title and held no world medals of any color, no matter that he had the skate of his life in both programs at the Olympic games. They judged Paul based on his reputation of inconsistency and NOT how he skated at those games. It should have been a true Cinderella story, but corrupt eastern block judging took care of that. Of all the Olympic winning free skates, nobody remembers Petrenko's fall-fest. It's one of the most egregious examples judging corruption in figure skating.
I agree Paul’s marks were way too low in the original program. The only issue was Petrenko and Barna skated beautiful programs and there was no way Wylie was going to be placed over a clean or nearly clean Viktor and Petr. All that is academic, though. Since they were in the top 3, all of them had an equal chance of winning gold. Any of them could have won gold by winning the free program. And that to me is the more egregious thing because Viktor’s performance was insanely weak. It was a 3-year-old program and his performance was so mediocre. You can argue about the technical content through the jumps. Viktor had the hardest combination but Paul had fewer obvious mistakes. They landed about the same number of triples overall. Paul’s spins and footwork were better. But his artistic marks should have blown Viktor out of the water. Every aspect of his performance was so much better. The judges absolutely blew it on this one
@@intldawn Great analysis. Barna didn't even have a triple axel at those Olympics, only doing a double in his SP. While that's not necessarily a technical deduction, the difference in difficulty should have been enough to put Paul in second going into the LP. Even though Paul would have had just as much a chance to win gold in third place versus second place going into the LP, it's just the principle of the matter that gets me. The worst thing is that under the 6.0 system, it was the artistic mark that determined the placement ordinal, and for the judges to say that Petrenko (with many mistakes that interrupted the flow and presentation) was more artistic than Paul in the LP is not only outrageous but highly suspicious.
At least I didn't have to type all of that because it was spot on! Petrenko should've gone home that night without ANY medal whatsoever. He was outrageously overstored. It is laughable that he returned to the Olympics thinking he could reclaim a medal of any time in 94 and was rightfully denied.
Toller Cranston once said that it's the audience, not the judges, who always know who the best skater in a competition is. Their reaction tells us Paul was the best that night. But because of his humility, I suspect Paul didn't really care about not winning the gold. It didn't matter, his achievement was a triumph in itself. A wonderful skater and a man of great kindness. Thank you Paul.
skatingcritic1 you are correct about his humility. At the press conference when asked about not winning, he said ‘what more of a Cinderella story do you want?’ I’ve hardly played back Petrenko’s Olympic freeskate since I don’t need to. It lacks emotion and feels cold. Paul’s is completely the opposite; I feel uplifted every time I see it which is often.
He won the hearts of the world. I always felt he would win. There was never any doubt he wouldn't win. He is pure class his skating ⛸ proved it. I watch him often thank you utube. He's just special and the people fell in love with him.
When the silver medal is golden: My favorite Olympic skate of all time. Paul was so on, so in the moment and such a beautiful program. And the commentators hear are silent (thank heavens.) Sublime. Thanks for uploading this.
You really don't even have to like or know anything about figure skating to appreciate this program. Anyone can see he nailed it and he knows he nailed it. Seeing someone come up from behind and give the best performance they've ever done at just the right time--it's such a pleasure to watch. (Similar to Nastia Liukin winning the all-around in gymnastics in 2008--she just put it together at the right time. )
And a few seconds later when he finished the program--the combination of surprise and joy on Paul's face! Love it. This is why I still love the Olympics.
Love this video and to be able to see his coaches hug each other as he finishes his program. Paul Wylie is one of the all time greats. I watch this performance constantly to lift my spirits.
Only Paul Wylie makes it seem like there's no ice -just story. His emotion and jumps just ahead of the music and right on the music at other points make it so character driven. No one else lets watchers get lost.
All these many years later, this performance still brings me to tears. To see someone like Paul leave it ALL on the ice for a sport he loves is so inspiring.
Yes, that's his coach, Evy Scotvold--a bit of a coaching legend. The person he hugs as Paul finishes the routine is his wife, Mary. They also coached Nancy Kerrigan, among others.
If you ever want to know why figure skating as a sport has died and has been forgotten over the years, look to this program as Exhibit A. Not because of anything Paul did - but because of what the judges in this sport have done. Wylie did deserve the gold that night. While not perfect, an argument could easily be made to say that Wylie outskated Viktor Petrenko, especially in the artistic impression marks. Even the American judge voted against Wylie. Wylie could have easily been given the American judge's First place ordinal for this performance. Yet the American judge strangely put Wylie 2nd. Rarely (if ever) does a home country judge vote against its own skater with a performance like this one. The American judge was frankly worried that Wylie might win the Olympics, knowing that his own federation did not even select Wylie to go to the World Championships a few weeks later to represent the U.S. The USFSA assumed Wylie would crash and burn at the Olympics and as such, weeks in advance named Mark Mitchell to the world team instead of Wylie - this could not be changed. Imagine the USFSA's embarrassment had Wylie won the Olympics, and would not permit their own Olympic champion to go to the World Championships (which was being held in the United States that year as well!). The American judge had to vote against Wylie to save face for the USFSA. This was a disastrous decision - one of many leading up to the debacle of the Salt Lake Olympics pairs decision, that ultimately brought down the sport. It has never recovered since, and has continued to decline in sponsorship and attendance ever since. A sport that could have become even more popular, but because of its own people (the sport's own unethical judges), is now a forgotten and dead sport.
This is my second favorite. My all-time favorite is Paul's LP for '89-'90. Music was "The Mission," Poulenc Organ Concerto, and Beethoven Leonore Overture #3. Even more masterfully integrated- with even more nuance of movement-to-music. Mary Scotveld, who choreographed both for Paul and for Nancy Kerrigan, was BRILLIANT.
@@gregberg5559 I agree. I think Mary Scotvold was a great choreographer. One of the best. And the Mission program was truly a masterpiece and my favorite as well.
The Free skate is long because it challenges artistry and stamina. Paul was beautiful start to finish, his arms and posture stayed straight and strong. Victor Petrenko fell and was so exhausted by the end of his performance he could not keeps his arms up they were almost at his sides at times, and his posture towards the end was stooped. Paul should have won gold, but since Victor was favored over him that was not going to happen no matter what.
i agree.. i've always felt like paul was robbed... his program was superior and he performed with such amazing artistry... Victor seemed uninspired and to me.. the Olympics are about inspiration and the push of an athlete (and in the case of figure skating) and artist...
Reina Torres yep. I could justify giving Viktor a .1 technical edge, saying that the more serious mistakes are cancelled out by the higher difficulty of his program. And since neither were exactly clean, I'd maybe say 5.6 for Petrenko, 5.5 for Wylie. But artistically it's not even close. Petrenko is a 5.7 or maybe 5.8 artistically. This masterpiece I might even give a 6.0 on the second mark, but certainly no excuse for anything less than a 5.9. Second mark being the tiebreaker, you have to give it to Wylie here.
I was a Paul Wylie fan. I made my non-skating fan friend sit through his flawed nationals program that year. That same friend called me after this performance. Everyone knew how good this was!!!! Paul! You'll never know how you touched us, before this program, and definitely during and after. Thank you! Still, as fabulous as this video is, my favorite part is Kilroy just before the halfway mark. WTF?!
Paul Wylie absolutely should have won the gold medal in 1992. He was drastically underscored in the SP even though he skated flawlessly. The judges scored Paul based on his past reputation, NOT on how he skated at the Olympics. Watch his SP. It's phenomenal. Although Petrenko was clean in his SP, his LP was a disaster, easily the most unworthy gold winning LP in Olympic history. It's outrageous. If Paul had been scored fairly in his SP and Victor in his LP, Paul would have easily won...but there was no way the judges were going to award the gold to a skater who'd never won a national championship or a medal of any color at worlds...regardless of the fact that he really won both nights at this Olympics.
I agree with most of what you said but the placement of the short program, while he might have been underscored, was immaterial. He was in 3rd so he had the same chance to win overall as Petrenko and Barna. The way the scoring worked, anyone in the top three after the short won overall if they won the free. So if he’d won the free program (as I believe he should have), even if Viktor was 2nd in the free, Paul would have won overall. That said, you’re absolutely right that the judges were not going to easily give gold to such an unheralded skater that almost didn’t make his own Olympic team. The judges loved Petrenko and Barna. The fact that Wylie was even in position to win after the short was a stunning move by the judges in itself. But the judges really saved Petrenko because his free is one of the weakest performances I’ve seen from a gold medal winning skate. It’s one thing to give him the gold but I can’t believe it wasn’t even a split decision. Only two judges thought Paul should won, two others didn’t even think his skate was worth a medal and a couple of judges would have had him behind Barna. None of that makes sense to me
@@CalvinTor Apparently, you didn't see VP's LP where he fell once, fell out of three other jumps, downgraded another, and only landed three clean triples in the entire program. It's the most unworthy, outrageous Olympic "victory" in men's skating, hands down. Apparently, you also didn't see Paul's fantastic and yes, flawless, SP, after which he should have been no lower than second going into the LP. By lowering Paul's SP placement and artificially raising Viktor's LP placement, the communist judging bloc gave him the gold. Absurd. There is a reason NO ONE ever speaks of Petrenko's Olympic victory, especially his LP, and that's because it was completely manufactured by communist bloc judging. You're also only talking about the LP but there are TWO portions to the competition. Even so, Paul stayed on his feet. Viktor's LP was outrageously sloppy and filled with serious errors. Artistry? You must be fairly young because no one who watched skating in that era would have said anyone was more artistic than Paul Wylie. His presentation skills and emotional connection to the music were second to none. In fact, they're still unmatched today. He had a true artist's heart. That' can't be taught. Lots of skaters do "choreography" but only a rare few skaters actually give us their heart. Wylie and Kwan are two perfect examples. There's a reason 23 people have agreed with my assessment, and no one has with yours. So take your snotty attitude somewhere else.
lcowles yep-I’d put this program artistically even ahead of John Curry’s ‘76 “Don Quixote.” Curry had flawless lines, style, extension, all the elements of artistry, and I still love that program, but he still was also a bit detached, just didn’t make the same emotional connection to both the music and the audience that Wylie did here. Todd Eldredge’s ‘98 “Gettysburg” program is similar in that way, but that program also had a serious fall, so it can’t be put in the same overall category as this one.
@@intldawn It's because the fix was in for Petrenko before the skaters even took the ice. I'd put money on it. The least the judges could have done was try a little harder to make it appear as if if was a difficult decision for them. They gave Paul 5.3 and 5.4 for a flawless SP, but opinions about the SP aside; the fact that Petrenko won the LP with the error-riddled performance he gave is a prime example of everything that's wrong with figure skating and why it struggles with its legitimacy as a "real " sport. I don't think it's a coincidence that another American, Nancy Kerrigan, was screwed over for the gold just two years later in 1994 for another Ukrainian, Oksana Baiul. In my book the two most egregious and corrupt losses of Olympic gold in figure skating have always been Wylie and Kerrigan. People complained about Kerrigan's attitude after the '94 Olympics, but I would have been pissed, too. Everyone except Baiul's fan club knows Kerrigan got screwed.
Paul is my favorite skater. I will never get tired of watching this. He had so much grace and artistry, and personally always the gentleman, and the fact that he is a Christian just thrills my heart.
Again, the great video quality makes this an awesome experience to watch. He made a great choice of music here and absolutely sold the program. Technically, he was lucky to earn the silver with all the minor mistakes, but he really makes up for the mistakes with his outstanding presentation of the program.
Thing was, no one skated particularly cleanly that night. Petrenko and Barna both had actual falls and hand-downs. Wylie’s mistakes were a sloppy landing and a couple small turn-outs. But artistically neither Petrenko nor Barna belongs in the same universe as Wylie.
I like this version at least as well as the us network version, one reason being that with the camera where it is, you can see his coach go totally nuts at the end.
A beautiful and inspirational skate! I miss the split jumps and the old style of skating! Today, there's so much riding on the jumps but it seems that the artistic and traditional skating moves have been forgotten. I guess I'm just being nostalgic but it seems skating has changed so much through the years and I miss the specialness of it. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this right but I hope someone understands it! There was something special years ago with Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano, Paul Wylie, Kurt Browning, Kristi Yamaguchi, Victor Petrenko, Michelle Kwan, Oksana Baiul, etc. What has happened to this kind of artistry? I know things have to change as years progress and congratulations to all of today's skaters and I wish them all the best!
Today's figure skating is kind of a joke compared to this. Its a lot like gymnastics--they now require you to be doing *something technical* at every second so there's no time or energy left over for artistry. A sad state of affairs for both sports.
Should have won the gold. Viktor may have landed the triple axel triple toe but did very little after that... I would say that were about even technically, but even if you give the nod techically to Viktor, Paul should have soundly beat him in the artistic mark. Viktor's mistakes disrupted the flow of the program more, and he looked so exhausted in the last minute that it really took away from the performance. Paul's program followed through from beginning to end and was the superior performance. On a side note, the judging as a whole in this competition was quite bizarre. Elvis (who CBS did not even show) should have came in at least 3rd in the long.
Paul was one of the few whose program matched the music. His steps would be in rhythm. I’m watching skating now and it’s almost infuriating how little the skaters work the music.
Я до сих пор не могу понять методы судей.Прекрасное катание.Один ставит 5.9.другой 5.4 !!!??? На лицо предвзятость судей !!! И ПОЧЕМУ ТАКОЕ БЫЛО ВОЗМОЖНО ???? НУ К ЧЕМУ ТУТ МОЖНО БЫЛО ПРИДРАТЬСЯ ?????
Outstanding Paul. Hey, you need to get back out on the ice and compeate Paul. Remember your article. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love And a sound mind. He's given you an incredible talent Paul, and you need to use it to show others his power
The 5.4 for technical was too low but the 5.9 was too high. It was a solid effort but from a technical standpoint nothing i'd write my aunt in Oklahoma about.
paul Got gypped on his score...way gypped. But then we found out about the Soviets & the people they were in cohoots with regarding cheating. Why are they still allowed at the Olympics?
By far his very best performance. How is it he excites audiances and Nancy Kerrigan bores them. They both had the same coach. His artistry is magnificent. Her's is plain. boring. maybe she was hoping to impress judges by wearing Vera Wang . It wasn't her skating. She was no talent, no finess. That is why Oxonna beat her at olympics. And Tanya had the athletic ability. and won over Nancy and Kristy .
This is the best era of ice skating. Just watched the olympics skating in 22 and no one skated inspired. All jumps, flailing arms and im sorry but feminine style with the men..is hard to watch
Overmarked. Barna was robbed of the silver. Paul rode his sympathy story to inflated marks and an undeserved silver. Maybe Bowman should have even won the bronze considering his long was way better.
Barna's performance was dull and uninspiring. A true professional would not have put that harder jump at the end of his program. The crowd knew who the winner was.
![[HD] Viktor Petrenko - 1992 Albertville Olympic - Free Skating](/img/1.gif)
This program highlights all of Paul’s immaculate technique and attention to every single detail. Even the costume is simple and elegant. He won gold in my eyes and everyone else’s to be honest. And to think people wrote him off, what a hero. This performance is my idea of an Olympic moment.
100%! I made a comment in this space years ago that must have been before I watched Petrenko's and Barna's performances. When I reviewed those performances and returned to watch this one again, I saw that Wiley's program was significantly better in presentation and artistry and arguably better in technical merit if you consider that his errors were less serious. Wiley should have won the gold.
Yes! It's so easy to get down on the Olympics these days but this is what they were made for--great moments like this.
I keep coming back to watch this video. I don’t think there is a more thrilling Olympic moment than Paul Wylie’s Olympic win. His musicality is unrivaled and it’s not just about the jumps, it’s all about the flow of all the elements.
So true. Its was inspired
It was his moment. His night. So humble. Should have been awarded Gold but he showed happiness with Silver. Class.
I agree
2022 and that combination spin in the middle of the program still gives me chills. Paul Wylie is a poster child for getting it done when it counted. 👏
Paul won that night. Also the night before. Already people had fallen in love with this beautiful skater. I watch all his videos he had everybody's attention.
We all had hope for a great performance and the world got it.
Love his smile his personality and showmanship.
Pure class nobody has captured the hearts the way he did. Pure natural what a beautiful man he is to be admired.
Skating is a tough sport hours of practice dedication you have to love it.
He's apparently also a super nice man too, so points for that. 😊
Paul should have won the gold medal. Period. His short program was absolutely flawless, but the judges held him back terribly with outrageous 5.3/5.4 scores for technical and not much better for artistic. He should easily have gone into the LP in first or second place, and there should never have been so much scoring distance between him and Petrenko who was clearly "favored", as it was his time to "take his turn". Even with a few minor errors, Paul's gorgeous LP was easily better both artistically and technically than Petrenko, who blew three jumps, falling on and/or completely out of them. If Paul hadn't been held back in the SP, and the LP scored fairly, he easily would have won gold, but the judges weren't about to award the Olympic gold medal to a skater who'd never won a national title and held no world medals of any color, no matter that he had the skate of his life in both programs at the Olympic games. They judged Paul based on his reputation of inconsistency and NOT how he skated at those games. It should have been a true Cinderella story, but corrupt eastern block judging took care of that. Of all the Olympic winning free skates, nobody remembers Petrenko's fall-fest. It's one of the most egregious examples judging corruption in figure skating.
I agree Paul’s marks were way too low in the original program. The only issue was Petrenko and Barna skated beautiful programs and there was no way Wylie was going to be placed over a clean or nearly clean Viktor and Petr. All that is academic, though. Since they were in the top 3, all of them had an equal chance of winning gold. Any of them could have won gold by winning the free program. And that to me is the more egregious thing because Viktor’s performance was insanely weak. It was a 3-year-old program and his performance was so mediocre. You can argue about the technical content through the jumps. Viktor had the hardest combination but Paul had fewer obvious mistakes. They landed about the same number of triples overall. Paul’s spins and footwork were better. But his artistic marks should have blown Viktor out of the water. Every aspect of his performance was so much better. The judges absolutely blew it on this one
@@intldawn Great analysis. Barna didn't even have a triple axel at those Olympics, only doing a double in his SP. While that's not necessarily a technical deduction, the difference in difficulty should have been enough to put Paul in second going into the LP. Even though Paul would have had just as much a chance to win gold in third place versus second place going into the LP, it's just the principle of the matter that gets me. The worst thing is that under the 6.0 system, it was the artistic mark that determined the placement ordinal, and for the judges to say that Petrenko (with many mistakes that interrupted the flow and presentation) was more artistic than Paul in the LP is not only outrageous but highly suspicious.
At least I didn't have to type all of that because it was spot on! Petrenko should've gone home that night without ANY medal whatsoever. He was outrageously overstored. It is laughable that he returned to the Olympics thinking he could reclaim a medal of any time in 94 and was rightfully denied.
Toller Cranston once said that it's the audience, not the judges, who always know who the best skater in a competition is. Their reaction tells us Paul was the best that night. But because of his humility, I suspect Paul didn't really care about not winning the gold. It didn't matter, his achievement was a triumph in itself. A wonderful skater and a man of great kindness. Thank you Paul.
skatingcritic1 you are correct about his humility. At the press conference when asked about not winning, he said ‘what more of a Cinderella story do you want?’ I’ve hardly played back Petrenko’s Olympic freeskate since I don’t need to. It lacks emotion and feels cold. Paul’s is completely the opposite; I feel uplifted every time I see it which is often.
Always was one of my favorites!
I'm pretty sure Paul feels that he didn't lose the gold medal that night, but instead WON the silver medal!
He won the hearts of the world. I always felt he would win.
There was never any doubt he wouldn't win. He is pure class his skating ⛸ proved it. I watch him often thank you utube.
He's just special and the people fell in love with him.
Absolutely 💯
I still remember how exciting it was to watch this performance in 1992. Still gives me goosebumps!
When the silver medal is golden: My favorite Olympic skate of all time. Paul was so on, so in the moment and such a beautiful program. And the commentators hear are silent (thank heavens.) Sublime. Thanks for uploading this.
That moment when he finishes the program and his face is equal parts joy and surprise! I love it so much. This is why I love the Olympics, still.
Great Olympic moment. Brilliant choreography. Gorgeous performance. 💜
You really don't even have to like or know anything about figure skating to appreciate this program. Anyone can see he nailed it and he knows he nailed it. Seeing someone come up from behind and give the best performance they've ever done at just the right time--it's such a pleasure to watch. (Similar to Nastia Liukin winning the all-around in gymnastics in 2008--she just put it together at the right time. )
5:02 ...such a great scene with his coach’s cheering in the background. Pure gold!
And a few seconds later when he finished the program--the combination of surprise and joy on Paul's face! Love it. This is why I still love the Olympics.
Paul's inspirational story has brought me through many troubled waters. Sometimes, the good guys do win!
This program by Paul Wylie still brings tears to my eyes after all these years. What a way to leave your mark before retiriing from amateur skating.
Love this video and to be able to see his coaches hug each other as he finishes his program. Paul Wylie is one of the all time greats. I watch this performance constantly to lift my spirits.
BEST quality video I've seen of this performance.... 28 years........ WOW
Yes, this video is the best of this performance. No annoying chatter and unnecessary over commentating like so many other feeds
I remember watching this live and how exciting it was. Still one of the best long programs ever performed at the Olympics.
Brilliant skate. Wonderful performance. It was magical. So happy he did this. Love watching this.
I love seeing the quick communication with his coach mid-routine...and his coach's reaction during the final spin. :) Very special moment!
Yes
Only Paul Wylie makes it seem like there's no ice -just story. His emotion and jumps just ahead of the music and right on the music at other points make it so character driven. No one else lets watchers get lost.
All these many years later, this performance still brings me to tears. To see someone like Paul leave it ALL on the ice for a sport he loves is so inspiring.
Excellent quality for this 30+ years old performance
Paul was superb!! Love this
When skating was thrilling!....and beautifully stylized! ...with wonderful music !🎶🎶🎶
One of my all time favorite skaters. His skating is the essence of what is was and what’s missing today. So miss him.
This still gives me goosebumps - its only in the last year or so I've found it on RUclips. Fabulous and such good quality video. Thanks so much.
Yes, like Baryshnikov on ice. I was lucky enough to see him live in this Olympic year, and he was indeed magical.
One of the best skating programs ever & it's timeless.
Absolutely 💯
Performance that l never forget.Beautiful music
+Lourdes Quintero ...Beautiful man and an extremely talented skater.
Lourdes Quintero Kenneth Branagh’s production of Henry V and his St. Crispin’s Day speech. 💕
I love his smiles at the end of his routines, and the reaction of the man behind home at the end. His coach, perhaps. Such a brilliant skater.
Yes, that's his coach, Evy Scotvold--a bit of a coaching legend. The person he hugs as Paul finishes the routine is his wife, Mary. They also coached Nancy Kerrigan, among others.
2024: even after all these years, this still gives me goosebumps.
Incredible perfection. Loved his artistry.
This program will always be so inspirational to me.
If you ever want to know why figure skating as a sport has died and has been forgotten over the years, look to this program as Exhibit A. Not because of anything Paul did - but because of what the judges in this sport have done. Wylie did deserve the gold that night. While not perfect, an argument could easily be made to say that Wylie outskated Viktor Petrenko, especially in the artistic impression marks. Even the American judge voted against Wylie. Wylie could have easily been given the American judge's First place ordinal for this performance. Yet the American judge strangely put Wylie 2nd. Rarely (if ever) does a home country judge vote against its own skater with a performance like this one. The American judge was frankly worried that Wylie might win the Olympics, knowing that his own federation did not even select Wylie to go to the World Championships a few weeks later to represent the U.S. The USFSA assumed Wylie would crash and burn at the Olympics and as such, weeks in advance named Mark Mitchell to the world team instead of Wylie - this could not be changed. Imagine the USFSA's embarrassment had Wylie won the Olympics, and would not permit their own Olympic champion to go to the World Championships (which was being held in the United States that year as well!). The American judge had to vote against Wylie to save face for the USFSA. This was a disastrous decision - one of many leading up to the debacle of the Salt Lake Olympics pairs decision, that ultimately brought down the sport. It has never recovered since, and has continued to decline in sponsorship and attendance ever since. A sport that could have become even more popular, but because of its own people (the sport's own unethical judges), is now a forgotten and dead sport.
Galileocan g I completely agree with your assessment.
Still my favorite men's program of all time ... and my favorite male skater.
This is my second favorite. My all-time favorite is Paul's LP for '89-'90. Music was "The Mission," Poulenc Organ Concerto, and Beethoven Leonore Overture #3. Even more masterfully integrated- with even more nuance of movement-to-music. Mary Scotveld, who choreographed both for Paul and for Nancy Kerrigan, was BRILLIANT.
@@gregberg5559 I agree. I think Mary Scotvold was a great choreographer. One of the best. And the Mission program was truly a masterpiece and my favorite as well.
The Free skate is long because it challenges artistry and stamina. Paul was beautiful start to finish, his arms and posture stayed straight and strong. Victor Petrenko fell and was so exhausted by the end of his performance he could not keeps his arms up they were almost at his sides at times, and his posture towards the end was stooped. Paul should have won gold, but since Victor was favored over him that was not going to happen no matter what.
i agree.. i've always felt like paul was robbed... his program was superior and he performed with such amazing artistry... Victor seemed uninspired and to me.. the Olympics are about inspiration and the push of an athlete (and in the case of figure skating) and artist...
Reina Torres yep. I could justify giving Viktor a .1 technical edge, saying that the more serious mistakes are cancelled out by the higher difficulty of his program. And since neither were exactly clean, I'd maybe say 5.6 for Petrenko, 5.5 for Wylie. But artistically it's not even close. Petrenko is a 5.7 or maybe 5.8 artistically. This masterpiece I might even give a 6.0 on the second mark, but certainly no excuse for anything less than a 5.9. Second mark being the tiebreaker, you have to give it to Wylie here.
Thank you so much for posting this. Finally able to watch it with very little talking, as he deserves. Domo Arigato Gozaimashita.
It finally all came together for Paul that night, and it was a thrill to watch. He’s one of my all-time favorite skaters.
I was a Paul Wylie fan. I made my non-skating fan friend sit through his flawed nationals program that year. That same friend called me after this performance. Everyone knew how good this was!!!! Paul! You'll never know how you touched us, before this program, and definitely during and after. Thank you! Still, as fabulous as this video is, my favorite part is Kilroy just before the halfway mark. WTF?!
Paul Wylie absolutely should have won the gold medal in 1992. He was drastically underscored in the SP even though he skated flawlessly. The judges scored Paul based on his past reputation, NOT on how he skated at the Olympics. Watch his SP. It's phenomenal. Although Petrenko was clean in his SP, his LP was a disaster, easily the most unworthy gold winning LP in Olympic history. It's outrageous. If Paul had been scored fairly in his SP and Victor in his LP, Paul would have easily won...but there was no way the judges were going to award the gold to a skater who'd never won a national championship or a medal of any color at worlds...regardless of the fact that he really won both nights at this Olympics.
Agree. Have always felt this way.
I agree with most of what you said but the placement of the short program, while he might have been underscored, was immaterial. He was in 3rd so he had the same chance to win overall as Petrenko and Barna. The way the scoring worked, anyone in the top three after the short won overall if they won the free. So if he’d won the free program (as I believe he should have), even if Viktor was 2nd in the free, Paul would have won overall. That said, you’re absolutely right that the judges were not going to easily give gold to such an unheralded skater that almost didn’t make his own Olympic team. The judges loved Petrenko and Barna. The fact that Wylie was even in position to win after the short was a stunning move by the judges in itself. But the judges really saved Petrenko because his free is one of the weakest performances I’ve seen from a gold medal winning skate. It’s one thing to give him the gold but I can’t believe it wasn’t even a split decision. Only two judges thought Paul should won, two others didn’t even think his skate was worth a medal and a couple of judges would have had him behind Barna. None of that makes sense to me
@@CalvinTor Apparently, you didn't see VP's LP where he fell once, fell out of three other jumps, downgraded another, and only landed three clean triples in the entire program. It's the most unworthy, outrageous Olympic "victory" in men's skating, hands down. Apparently, you also didn't see Paul's fantastic and yes, flawless, SP, after which he should have been no lower than second going into the LP. By lowering Paul's SP placement and artificially raising Viktor's LP placement, the communist judging bloc gave him the gold. Absurd. There is a reason NO ONE ever speaks of Petrenko's Olympic victory, especially his LP, and that's because it was completely manufactured by communist bloc judging.
You're also only talking about the LP but there are TWO portions to the competition. Even so, Paul stayed on his feet. Viktor's LP was outrageously sloppy and filled with serious errors. Artistry? You must be fairly young because no one who watched skating in that era would have said anyone was more artistic than Paul Wylie. His presentation skills and emotional connection to the music were second to none. In fact, they're still unmatched today. He had a true artist's heart. That' can't be taught. Lots of skaters do "choreography" but only a rare few skaters actually give us their heart. Wylie and Kwan are two perfect examples. There's a reason 23 people have agreed with my assessment, and no one has with yours. So take your snotty attitude somewhere else.
lcowles yep-I’d put this program artistically even ahead of John Curry’s ‘76 “Don Quixote.” Curry had flawless lines, style, extension, all the elements of artistry, and I still love that program, but he still was also a bit detached, just didn’t make the same emotional connection to both the music and the audience that Wylie did here. Todd Eldredge’s ‘98 “Gettysburg” program is similar in that way, but that program also had a serious fall, so it can’t be put in the same overall category as this one.
@@intldawn It's because the fix was in for Petrenko before the skaters even took the ice. I'd put money on it. The least the judges could have done was try a little harder to make it appear as if if was a difficult decision for them. They gave Paul 5.3 and 5.4 for a flawless SP, but opinions about the SP aside; the fact that Petrenko won the LP with the error-riddled performance he gave is a prime example of everything that's wrong with figure skating and why it struggles with its legitimacy as a "real " sport.
I don't think it's a coincidence that another American, Nancy Kerrigan, was screwed over for the gold just two years later in 1994 for another Ukrainian, Oksana Baiul. In my book the two most egregious and corrupt losses of Olympic gold in figure skating have always been Wylie and Kerrigan. People complained about Kerrigan's attitude after the '94 Olympics, but I would have been pissed, too. Everyone except Baiul's fan club knows Kerrigan got screwed.
Paul is my favorite skater. I will never get tired of watching this. He had so much grace and artistry, and personally always the gentleman, and the fact that he is a Christian just thrills my heart.
One of my favorite performance in the Olympics.Beautiful!!!
Great video quality and so nice to watch WITHOUT blabbering commentary!
Loved seeing Evy Scotvold in the background at the end of the program. What a moment!
The judges had their head up you know where.
Again, the great video quality makes this an awesome experience to watch. He made a great choice of music here and absolutely sold the program. Technically, he was lucky to earn the silver with all the minor mistakes, but he really makes up for the mistakes with his outstanding presentation of the program.
Thing was, no one skated particularly cleanly that night. Petrenko and Barna both had actual falls and hand-downs. Wylie’s mistakes were a sloppy landing and a couple small turn-outs. But artistically neither Petrenko nor Barna belongs in the same universe as Wylie.
@@ADEAL918 Fair point.
I like this version at least as well as the us network version, one reason being that with the camera where it is, you can see his coach go totally nuts at the end.
My all time favourite performance. When dreams come true 💖💖💖
A beautiful and inspirational skate! I miss the split jumps and the old style of skating! Today, there's so much riding on the jumps but it seems that the artistic and traditional skating moves have been forgotten. I guess I'm just being nostalgic but it seems skating has changed so much through the years and I miss the specialness of it. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this right but I hope someone understands it! There was something special years ago with Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano, Paul Wylie, Kurt Browning, Kristi Yamaguchi, Victor Petrenko, Michelle Kwan, Oksana Baiul, etc.
What has happened to this kind of artistry? I know things have to change as years progress and congratulations to all of today's skaters and I wish them all the best!
Today's figure skating is kind of a joke compared to this. Its a lot like gymnastics--they now require you to be doing *something technical* at every second so there's no time or energy left over for artistry. A sad state of affairs for both sports.
One of the all time greats!
So flowing his movements. That was skating at its best!!!
Well, the crowd certainly knew who was the best even if the judges were to afraid to do the right thing.
Beautiful lines & everything else!
Bon il y a prescription donc je peux l'avouer.... Mais qu'est ce que j'étais amoureuse de lui à l'époque !! 😍😍😍😂😂😂😅😅😅
my favorite skater of all time.
Excellent quality. Wow!
Thank you very much!
He's fantastic 😍
Paul, the USA will always love you!
I'm getting a kick out of watching, not so much Paul, but his coaches. Evy at 5:04 is killing me!
Paul you are the best
Здравствуйте!Благодарю за уважение к русскому языку , на котором написана одна из аннотаций к видео и отличное качество ролика
Should have won the gold. Viktor may have landed the triple axel triple toe but did very little after that... I would say that were about even technically, but even if you give the nod techically to Viktor, Paul should have soundly beat him in the artistic mark. Viktor's mistakes disrupted the flow of the program more, and he looked so exhausted in the last minute that it really took away from the performance. Paul's program followed through from beginning to end and was the superior performance.
On a side note, the judging as a whole in this competition was quite bizarre. Elvis (who CBS did not even show) should have came in at least 3rd in the long.
I'm sorry, but he should've been the Olympic Champion.
Paul Wylie + Graceful....... never heard of that.
I would give gold to Paul if I was the judge. Second Victor and third place Petr I agree.
Tyrone Branch Agreed then, agree now!
The Ina Bauer and the spread eagle...divine ❤❤
Poor Victor Petrenko was under more pressure than Paul Wylie
Amazing
My hero
This is amazing!
If I were a judge. The placings would be..1. Wylie 2. Bowman 3. Petrenko.
❤️❤️❤️❤️ bravo!
I had a private lesson with him last month 😛 he’s super cool
Paul was one of the few whose program matched the music. His steps would be in rhythm. I’m watching skating now and it’s almost infuriating how little the skaters work the music.
Я до сих пор не могу понять методы судей.Прекрасное катание.Один ставит 5.9.другой 5.4 !!!??? На лицо предвзятость судей !!! И ПОЧЕМУ ТАКОЕ БЫЛО ВОЗМОЖНО ???? НУ К ЧЕМУ ТУТ МОЖНО БЫЛО ПРИДРАТЬСЯ ?????
Outstanding Paul. Hey, you need to get back out on the ice and compeate Paul. Remember your article. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love And a sound mind. He's given you an incredible talent Paul, and you need to use it to show others his power
Paul Wylie got absolutely robbed. This deserved gold
Does somebody know what is the title of this beautiful music please ?
Henry V soundtrack
And the Saint-Saens organ symphony at the end.
Those judges got booed badly. 😂
The 5.4 for technical was too low but the 5.9 was too high. It was a solid effort but from a technical standpoint nothing i'd write my aunt in Oklahoma about.
2:23 why he didn’t win
paul Got gypped on his score...way gypped. But then we found out about the Soviets & the people they were in cohoots with regarding cheating. Why are they still allowed at the Olympics?
Stiffed arm
6:45 RIP LITTLE GIRL IN BLACK.... SHE GETS DISMISSED BY PAUL AND THE LADY IN RED :(
This drove me crazy. He should have acknowledged her. Would have taken 2 seconds and the scores weren't going anywhere.
Awww.... poor thing she was clearly waiting for him, he was so sweet to everyone else!
I would have given him 5.7/6.0
ROBBED
By far his very best performance. How is it he excites audiances and Nancy Kerrigan bores them. They both had the same coach. His artistry is magnificent. Her's is plain. boring. maybe she was hoping to impress judges by wearing Vera Wang . It wasn't her skating. She was no talent, no finess. That is why Oxonna beat her at olympics. And Tanya had the athletic ability. and won over Nancy and Kristy .
This is the best era of ice skating. Just watched the olympics skating in 22 and no one skated inspired. All jumps, flailing arms and im sorry but feminine style with the men..is hard to watch
Overmarked. Barna was robbed of the silver. Paul rode his sympathy story to inflated marks and an undeserved silver. Maybe Bowman should have even won the bronze considering his long was way better.
Barna's performance was dull and uninspiring. A true professional would not have put that harder jump at the end of his program. The crowd knew who the winner was.
💅slay💅