Boitano captured his first of four consecutive U.S. national titles in 1985 ... He went on to win two world championships (1986 and 1988) and the Olympic gold medal in 1988 ... His free skate to capture the '88 Olympic gold is known as one of the greatest individual figure skating performances of all time... At the 1982 U.S. Championships, he became the first American skater to land a triple Axel ... Boitano's competitive record is in its own class; he has won more professional titles than any competitor in the history of sport, including six World Professional Championships ... Outside of competitive skating, Boitano started his own tour and won an Emmy Award for his starring role in Carmen on Ice (HBO) ... He founded Youth Skate in 1998 to introduce inner-city youth to ice skating ... He formed White Canvas Productions in 1994, and he still serves as Artistic Director for the company ... He became the first male skater -- and the only one to date -- to be featured alone on the cover of
Sports Illustrated, when he made the cover after his '88 Olympic gold ... He has been inducted into both the World and U.S. Figure Skating Halls of Fame in 1996.