SURYA BONALY 1993 WORLDS LP FS CHAMPIONSHIPS

[getrealandsee]

Wait wait wait...did I hear Sandra Bezic say 'there's more to skating than jumps?' The same Sandra Bezic who said 'success isn't always measured by a gold medal'? That comment is what it is really about...favortism and out and out hypocrisy...slammed for being an athlete but complimented for not being an athlete and just wiggling and jiggling all over the ice...what a bunch of bull. And commentators...I think that she already knows she is Black and would have been the first Black WC, no?

[juaquino]

Gonna be a devil's advocate here and lay this card down... THE RACE CARD!

[mlc2005]

I would have given her the gold as well for jumps, but Surya was an anomaly in skating because she could jump, but did not have basic skills. For example, her lack of flow during transitions and footwork must have been blatantly obvious to the judges sitting in the front row, as it is obvious watching here on youtube even. 

Bonaly: 5.8/5.7

Baul: 5.6/5.8

And remember, the technical mark is about more than jumps. Bonaly barely won it here, but next year Yuka was just too smooth to overcome.

[roldanpinsky]

the controversy continues, its almost a moot point so far down the skating histories, yet it is true...SURYA SHOULD HAVE WON THE GOLD!

[3edere]

I totaly disagree. Bonaly could not have won the golden metal because her skating was restricted to a mere athletic performance and for unique an spectacular that was it didn't demonstrate that the girl had matured in an accomplish skater which Baiul instead was. Skating is also dancing on the ice with grace and flexibility. If u wont only to jump around....well....change discipline!

[trojanrob24]

my goodness, this is beautiful! in today's ijs system, she would blow away the competition. i also luv her lutzes! ahhh, the days when no one flutzed...

[jmahrky]

how the hell did she not win this world championship?! now i wouldve refused the silver medal, this is a gold performance over baiul any day!!! talk about robbed!

[kwadruple]

1:37 Ugliest spin I have ever seen!

Still, this should have beaten Baiul.

[elamantebilingue]

There is something very compelling and mesmerizing about this skate. Surya clearly should have been the world champion. Technically amazing. Artistically she was not conventional or safe BUT SHE WAS STILL ARTISTIC. There was an interpretative dance and a story in this performance. Sandra Bizec is an elitist and presumptuous commentator. The female Dick Button. Self-entitled and annoying!

[dexterkatinski]

I've always seen passion, longing and what appears to almost be agony/mourning from her in this program. I find her expression of these emotions wonderful and befitting of the music. Coupled with the exquisite costuming and jumping, she deserved first place ordinals from the judges, and Sandra as well. Eat it Bezic, and don't forget to chew.

[Takver]

Surya's skating could be quite awkward and lacklustre at times but in THIS program she should have won over the judge's sweetheart, Baiul.

I think the sport is aesthetically eurocentric and sexist. They don't like athleticism in women and prefer them to skate like supple, delicate little dolls. It's more of a cultural bias that ends up being discriminatory anyway. Black, muscular Surya was never going to be able to skate in the 'preferred' fashion.

[italianjen29]

I have to say, I was never a very big Surya fan b/c she unfortunately looks like a man skating on the ice. She completely lacks artistic impression, HOWEVER, he jumps are amazing! She is like the serena williams of skating! I don't like the she does the telegraphing, but she is such a strong jumper! Technical Merit she is a 6.0, but the long program in based mainly on artistic merit, so she really needed to step that up more.

[schneil01]

It was athletic and musical...she should have won...hands down.

[PeekaPeep]

This program should've sealed the deal for Bonaly. With her superior technical ability on full display here and improved artistry to the point where it wasn't as big a liability for her as before...SHE TOTALLY GOT ROBBED THAT YEAR!!! That's why I was so damn glad she flipped the judges off at Nagano a few years later (lol). She knew what was up her entire career.

Oh, and regarding Bezic's commentary...doesn't take much to point out the haters, does it? Figures...

;-p

[mlc2005]

I have to agree that she really should have won here. I think the criticism about her technique is real (such as not the flow and telegraphing of jumps), but this was an excellent program, and she should have won. People like Surya, Ito, and others often get an unfair rap, because they are seen as "athletic" and therefore not "artistic." I think speed and excitement should count as artistic (it certainly did with fans).

[muffycat26]

Yes it is pretty ridiculous. Then Baiul is almost made out to be so artistic only since her artistry looks so great when compared to her joke jumps.

[psbfan01]

Brilliant performance. She was so ahead of everyone else technically with this that she deserved to win, despite snipes about "artistry."

[Tenebarum]

Surya should have refused the silver for this performance. I could buy Sato over her in 94 (just), but Baiul? This was a joke. Baiul was a smoke and mirrors act. Surya is my 93 World champion.

[wallllllllllou]

Surya is my 93 world champ' too... no doubt.. !

3 judges gave 5.8 for baiul as well as surya for the technical merit.. come on.. that's a a joke..

i agree with pbsfan too, her 96 WCC FP was great too technically and artistically.

[intldawn]

@Tenebarum I agree, totally. I thought she had a much better reason to be upset at this result than in '94, because at least Yuka could jump. Baiul didn't do a single combination in her entire program and has some of the weakest technique I've ever seen from a top skater. Baiul is a terrific performer, but this was the best performance of Surya's career. Bonaly should have won this title outright.

[amexred]

@Tenebarum Absolutely agree. This performance was leagues better than 1994 and it was certainly better than Baiul's technically and on par presentation wise imo.

[luvyouOonot]

this went to court anyway...and the judges were dismissed

[stefan7171]

court? what are you talking about?

[trevoredward007]

she deserves higher marks!!!

[shayneinsc]

not only was her jumping better, but she also had better footwork

[koolaidnhemlock]

this is all two footed skating and then jumps. she doesnt use any edges. how do you people not see that.

[donnaio65]

you are a visionaire , tell us  wich jump is two footed , please !

[Greatass4]

because we're not suffering from delusion like you are fool. Get a life.

[reneedaughter]

I remember the hype that year. Baiul was an orphan and used to burst into tears for everything... She had everyones heart but she did not have the skills..like it or not. Her performance had too many "breaks" and not enough jumps. As I have said for the past 14-15 years... Oksana has Surya Bonaly's 1993 World Medal and Nancy Kerrigan's 1994 Olympic Medal.

[sekretaznman81]

i tend to agree. although many liked oksana's artistry, i found that she looked like a dancer at a country fair, rather than the "ballerina on ice" that many people lauded her for. i preferred lu chen and nancy kerrigan's artistry. there were times when i'd rather watch tonya harding over baiul, since baiul was still somewhat juniorish.

[intldawn]

Hmm...this is probably the only time I would have voted for Bonaly to win this title. I just find it so curious that Bonaly beat Baiul for the European Championship but here, where she skated better, she was second. That was such a super program, but I think she just lost out because Baiul had such great personality and a captivating presence on the ice. I think the judges were enamored by Baiul that sometimes they overlooked her weaker technical content. Who knows?

[thomstephens]

as much as i laud artistry...baiul did not deserve this title. This is the only competition where I believe Bonaly was unfairly placed - Surya deserved gold here.

[sekretaznman81]

i agree--she should've beaten baiul, who should've been no better than 3rd.

[thomstephens]

I didn't see chen's free skate so i don't know...baiul did well in the short and avoided mistakes in the long even though she lacked content. But Bonaly deserved this one for sure - and I agree with intldawn that this is the only worlds she deserved to win.

[psbfan01]

Oh my, I am a huge Bonaly fan! This (93) was a very good performance, yes. But her long program at the 1995 Worlds was outstanding. She walloped Lu Chen in technical ability.

[MTVMANN]

WOW! I would have given her the gold for sure...this is a sport first.

I guess the skating world was so fascinated by Baiul coming from no where that they just gave it to her!

[Basileus1983]

¿what is the two last jupms? (post last split jump).

¿que clase de saltos son los ultimos 2? (despues del split)

[Surietto]

triple toe loop - alf loop - doble flip

[sbbonerad]

Yep, she was clearly superior to Baiul in technical merits (by far) and ties her in artistic impression. How in the world did the judges make her 2nd?

[Zuranthium]

Ties Bauil in artistic impression?? Lol, no. But, her jumping here was SO much better that she did deserve the Gold. I would have marked the Long Programs as:

1. Bonaly: 5.9/5.6

2. Lu Chen: 5.7/5.8

3. Baiul: 5.5/5.8

4. Yuka Sato: 5.6/5.7

5. Kielmann: 5.6/5.6

[lookscudkill]

Super and common sense marks from you. I scored them the same way. However, the only difference is that I'd put Bonaly's artistry at 5.7

[Zuranthium]

Do you have her SP for this competition?

[angelatlantis14]

I also don't think it was because she was black. In my opinion, the sometimes unfair judgements she got had more to do with her style which the judges considered too athlethic and not aesthetic enough for a woman. In my opinion that was the same problem Elvis Stojko had - to a lesser degree, after all he won 3 Worlds - and which cost him the OGM in 94.

[lilbitch90]

robbed cuz she's black!! racist generation!! we are the new generation n racisim will got down the toilet!!

[gayskatingfan]

I agree she should have won this year, or atleast beaten Baiul and either her or Chen should have won, but I find your black comments unjustified. Have you ever heard of Debi Thomas? The judges were willing to give her the 86 World title 7 years before this, and were ready to give her the 87 World title too before Witt snatched it away with an amazing performance. Your comments are a mindless rant as much as if I said Chen didnt win this year since she was Chinese.

[angelatlantis14]

much as I dislike her, I have to agree, she should have won that championship. Looking back it seems ridiculous how the judges gave preferential treatment to Baiul. The standings should have been Bonaly Gold, Chen Silver, Baiul Bronze.

[gayskatingfan]

Yeah that is how I would have probably had it as well.

[uwoeric]

Yeah she should have won in 1993, and this is the year that she should have protested if she was going to do it at all. In 1994, Yuka was better overall.

[gayskatingfan]

I agree. In 1994 Yuka skated excellent, much superior skating to Baiul in 1993 IMO, and Surya did not do anywhere near as strong a performance as she did her. Her 94 protest was a joke since she definitely did not deserve gold in 94 Worlds, but here it would been more understandable her feeling that way.

[schulz1]

Surya should have won here and on that there is no question of any doubt. 7 triples including 2 triple lutzes. An artistic programme moreover with everything that you expect of a World Champion. Shame ...but not to be.

[neverendingdreamx]

surya should've won! this performance was amazing, and she had enough artistry and it went perfectly with this music, the music was awesome too! oksana isnt as strong a skater as surya and she had too much artistry and emotion for the boring elevator music she chose to skate too. im not saying oksanas a bad skater, but i dont think shes anywhere near as strong as surya.

[stefan7171]

PS - That triple toe loop, 1/2 loop, triple salchow combo was f**kin' awesome!!!  The female commentator has the nerve to say her stroking & body movements still need improvement & there's more to skating than jumps...f**kin' bitch - no female was doing 1/2 of what Surya was doing technically at the time...ya, what a way to put down true talent & ignore adding excitement to the sport when u see it - how sad!!!

[espinaca79]

Oh, I couldn't agree more. Surya deserved being a world champion and they denied her the right.

[stefan7171]

This is such a flawless beautiful program...I love watching it to this day but as soon as I think that she was unfairly given the silver it makes me so mad I'll admit...then for it to happen again in '94 & '95...grrr!!!! :( Surya rules!!! :) xox

[neverendingdreamx]

this is the same program as her 1998 olymbpic program....it looked good even 5 years ago!

[premierrules]

Yes, I agree. Watched both and although Baiul was stronger artistically, the GOLD should have gone to Bonaly that year. This was one of the best programmes she did - clean, well interpreted and good jumps.

[iloveYourDanceChanne]

during some fluff during the 1995 worlds one the figure skating officials said that they actually give her lower marks because her and her mother dont play by "their rules" but in my opinion one should reward hard work and surya had the most raw athletic talent of that time

[MissFit29]

People go with their emotions - emotions drive a lot of behavior. Oksana was a very emotional skater. That's why she won.

[MissFit29]

I don't think the judges were racist. Look at Debi Thomas - she had a very strong 4 years in the 80s. Bonaly did have 3 first place ordinals here. My theory is the skating community did not see her as a legitimate figure skater, and she was not going to win worlds because of it.

Also, didn't the truth about the fake Reunion Island story come out this year? I think the judges saw her as a poser.

[muffycat26]

I agree. I dont think it was racism. I just think the judges were not a fan of Surya since her skating style wasnt "pure" enough for the powers that be.

That isnt to say she shouldnt have won here. She totally should have won, she far outskated Biaul IMO. Another thing to remember here is Baiul was extremely overrated. It wasnt just vs Surya, many felt her 94 Oly gold over Kerrigan was a huge ripoff too. It may have been more Baiul being again overrated then anything against Surya.

[eventsouth]

All I can say is, I wasn't there and despite my extensive experience on the ice, I don't have any experience with judging.

That said, I think that for better or worse, the new scoring system that has been implemented by the ISU is meant to prevent controversies such as this one.

I think they are both superior athletes.

[tennessee810]

Sorry = Surya Bonaly deserved to win this title. She was clearly better. So very sad.......Very unfair......

[eventsouth]

I can appreciate the judge's difficulty in choosing the winner. Surya had some great jumps and interesting spins. However the quality of her edging in between wasn't great. Many of her jumps also had a wide swinging leg. Biaul's artistry and stroking were far superior but her jumps were admittedly weaker. It's a tough call because skating was judged so differently back then. To many judges artistry mattered more than big tricks. I think people have to take into consideration the ISU of the 90's

[beatsdude]

Oh please. So Surya's speed, her difficult and clean jumps and excellent spins amount to "tricks" according to you, but Oksana's superior ability to wave her arms around in an allegedly graceful manner amounts to "artistry"?

Is figure skating a sport, or what? Artistry should count for something, but the athletic aspect should come first.

Racist judges robbed Surya of a gold medal here.

[muffycat26]

Oksana was always very overrated. It wasnt racism, it was the judges overrating Baiul. The judges also gifted Baiul the 94 Oly gold over Kerrigan and Nancy is not black. Bonaly was robbed of gold here not by racism but the judges ridiculous love affair with the overrated Biaul. They also were not a big fan of Surya's skating style since it wasnt the norm, it was unconvential. They were biased against other skaters for that reason, like the Duchensays when they first came on the scene.

[espinaca79]

Very good comments from you guys! Congrats!.

[barkingtree88]

Racist judging.

[Basileus1983]

MARAVILLOSO.

Surya se merecia sin dudas el oro.

Es una de las grandes de todos los tiempos, aunque no haya ganado grandes títulos.

Su primera secuencia, 3toe half loop 3salchow es LA MEJOR DE SU CLASE que haya visto.

¡Surya por siwmpre!

[hilljacknutjob]

I don't know why it is always said that Baiul had better artistry at this competition. This was mature , exotic, dramatic and very exciting.

[roldanpinsky]

Surya Bonaly was and always will be my all time favorite figure skater. I'm glad to read that many others agree that she has been judged unfairly. She deserved to be a 3 time World Champion, rather then a silver medalist. I understand that figure skating is a very subjective sport, but it is also a sport that is judged unfairly many times. Surya Bonaly was a skater who took chances and broke boundaries and is a true Champion regardless of the color of her medals.

[Jaren79]

R O B B E D...such a shame and probably the best she skated this performance with much more refined movement. Oksana is good but her performance didn't hold a candle to this. There is something to be said for artistry of course but there is something else going on when ur jumps lacked as much as Oksana's did. When you don't have the jumps, no amt of artistry could make up for what Surya did technically. Oksana didn't have the jumps...didn't she only do 4 triples...shame on the judges!!!!!!!!

[russianskatingfan]

These were my marks:

Bonaly- 5.9 technical, 5.8 artistic

Chen- 5.7 technical, 5.8 artistic

Sato- 5.6 technical, 5.8 artistic

Baiul- 5.4 technical, 5.5 artistic

Preston- 5.5 technical, 5.5 artistic

Kiellmann- 5.7 technical, 5.7 artistic

Kerrigan- 5.1 technical, 5.4 artistic

I think I had Biaul about 6th in the LP. Bonaly 1st. Bonaly killed Biaul in this program. It wasnt even close. Baiul would have been lucky to even hold onto a medal with fair marking.

[hilljacknutjob]

Sandra Bezic is possibly the worst commentator of all time. She sucks.

[hilljacknutjob]

GOLD MEDAL!!

[beatsdude]

Fantastic. Why doesn't the skating world be honest with itself? The judges were racist. There is NO WAY any objective observer of Bonaly's and Baiul's performances in 1993 would have put Baiul first. Obviously Bonaly had the jumps, and this subjective "artistic" metric confounds me. To a regular (i.e. non-skating-expert) person like me, this performance is breathtaking and she truly seems to feel the beautiful music in her skating.

What a miscarriage of justice.

[RedbeardNC]

Yeah she was better but don't toss in the race card. They might have been discriminatory in the scores for some other reason, maybe getting on her about always doing backflips.

[Jonny1008]

its because shes black. this is an AMAZING routine. deserves gold. Suryas my favorite. This is 93...in 94 she deserved to win, but didnt. And in 95 with her gypsy routine, deserved better. Skating is racist....she's the best of her time...maybe not now, but then. And its retarded that she didnt win a major gold. Completely robbed. Haters

[grafgirl27]

She certainly did NOT deserve to win in 1994. She skated nowhere near as well as here and Sato clearly outskated her there. However I agree she deserved to win here in 1993 and maybe even in 1995. 1994 definitely not though, 1993 definitely yes.

[tennessee810]

Well, we all know now Oksana chose to drink and party. So sad for Oksana. Surya was wrongly robbed of a gold medal, I do agree. Who do you know that can jump like her - even today ?? Surya is missed by many. I wish she would skate more professionaly.

[Firebird8972]

I too agree this is a wonderful performance, and I have always been a loving fan of Surya. But I don't think she should have won over Oksana, who was artistically far ahead from her, and even the jumps were more fluid, elegant and beautiful overall, according to me, proving technically higher even if Surya landed two combinations. And I shall add that at the time I was supporting Surya, not Oksana which I didn't know yet.

[cutelilpooky]

Even though Baiul presnted a far more artistically superior skate than Surya, the argument is that this program was technically and artistically sound enough that she should have won over Baiul instead.

[Firebird8972]

thank you, but this is exactly what my opinion was about, maybe not expressed too clearly, if you say so. I'll pay more attention in the future.

[DonnieBrownIII]

I agree. Bezic is a bitch. But you have to remember that she is a choreographer. Surya was robbed many times for a gold medal! I think they were in too much of a hurry to give Bauil both medals World and Olympic. I bet they knew in a couple years her body would change. Sad to think she peaked at 16. It was too much too soon for Bauil.

[ptibisou]

Merveilleuse Surya : non seulement elle patine divinement bien, mais en plus elle est belle.

[cutelilpooky]

Could Sandra Bezic be any more of a bitch? You should hear her commentary on Surya's skating in another video on youtube. Their clear and blatant favortism of Baiul stinks. I know what's in the past is in the past and you can't turn back the hands of time, but Surya deserves an honary world gold medal and to be inducted in Figure Skating hall of fame.

[stefan7171]

Totally agree!

[Darkangel127]

Nope. She's as bitch as it gets! And yes, Surya totally deserved gold. Although not naturally talented and elegant, she did her best to present routines worth watching. She might have lost the title to a more artistic skater, like Kwan, Lu Chen, or Butyrskaya but not to Baiul, who I think is way too overrated! And if artistry prevails, how do judges explain Lipinsky's Olympic title over Michelle Kwan's wonderful performance?

[cutelilpooky]

Wow. She was great. I don't see how she couldn't have won. For the first time I see that artistry is overrated and Surya did a great job...period.

[bbtantan]

This is a great performance. Technically excellent and the presentation side is OK (not artistic but certainly dramatic). I actually thought she had a far better case for the gold here than in 1994, where she was extremely sloppy (fell out of the loop, 2 footed the lutz).

[Kipnepi]

Surya was totally robbed! In no way did Oksana's artistry outweigh Surya's technical in this competition. Plus, Sandra Bezic was off point! Aristically this was enough to get the job done and she knew it!

Oksana had favor with the judges and that's why she got this. nothing more, nothing less.

[appyguy]

If todays new judging system was used back then...this would have been Surya's gold medal.. I know her style of skating was somewhat unethical, but you have to give her credit for her amazing athleticism..

[hilljacknutjob]

Not necessarily...look at Carolina Kostner this year with a silver medal. Judging by that it seems to me that Josee Chouinard would have won at this competition.

[fatskateman]

Why was she robed? Was it her mother/coach whom was rather disliked in the skating world? Was it rasism? Was it because she was french? I never thought for her as being un-artistic. I always liked her style, she was just so different than the other woman. Strong yet fragle what more did they want?!!

[pellebravesskylar]

Not robed - robbed. Remember the next year when Surya yanked off her silver medal to protest her second place finish? Hell, she should have done it here. Oksana is a beautiful skater and wonderful to watch - but Surya was so far and above anyone technically that she should have been World Champ. Surya may not be the most elegant skater, but she's always wonderful to watch. Tin medal to Sandra Bezic's catty comment about skating being more than jumps. Surya had it all that year!

[hilljacknutjob]

Agreed! Surya won fair and square.

[suraaldy]

I agree she should have won. She had the jumps and just enough artistic impression to make a case for herself here.

[Egbert23]

omg was she robbed!!! that is fuckeddd up!

[stefan7171]

Poor Surya...she was sooo robbed of the gold here...I can understand why she refused her 2nd silver medal the year after cuz she was fed up of being robbed of it again! Go Surya! :)

[MichelleKwanForever]

I give the world title toooo...... *drum roll please*

SURRRYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!­!!!!!! She totally deserved it :)

[rfillangi]

She should have won. During Oksana's performance Sandra said the only thing that could beat Oksana was jump combinations. Surya had 3 jump combinations including a triple.triple...She also landed her jumps really well no underroated rough landings here...she was robbed.

[ryanlsj]

omg she is good

[schniggs]

Let's just say what it really was, the judges were racist, period....end of story.

[amexred]

I remember this competition and Surya should have won it hands down. She freaking beat Oksana earlier at the Europeans! What changed? I think this was also her best program she ever did technically and artistically speaking.

[shayneinsc]

there is no way that oksana could have beaten surya , if they had been using the judging system that is in effect today

[alzowirza]

she absolutely deserved to win this year

[breathingwind]

Yes, she deserved to win the 1993 Worlds

[psgrom]

le meilleur programme de sa carrière

[Surietto]

is on line at last the baiul program world 1993. we can see at last who s deserving this title

[jimmypikachuchoi]

I agree, I don't believe Oksana Baiul should have won that or even the Olympics, although her artistic ability is much better than Bonaly's, I thought the whole program was overall better. Rigged...