Gordie McKellen Jr - TRIPLE AXEL

Gordie McKellen Jr - TRIPLE AXEL - 1974 WC Exhibition

Рет қаралды 11,606

Жыл бұрын

48 years before Ilia Malinin made history with the first ever quadruple axel, in 1974, Gordie McKellen Jr, also from the USA, attempted to become the first man to achieve the feat of a triple axel in competition. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful, and it would be another four years before Vern Taylor of Canada eventually took that little bit of history at the 1978 Worlds in Ottawa. But at the end of the 1974 Worlds exhibition organisers gave him an opportunity to show the crowd just what he was capable of. One of the great US skaters of the 70's, Gordie landed a beauty of a triple axel and the rest of the skating community were there to witness it. Nice to see that pat on the back from Stanislav Zhuk. What iron curtain? But how many of those present that day could even imagine a quad axel? Yet here we are....

Пікірлер: 47

@jja8750 Жыл бұрын

Loved hearing the crowd even ooh and ahh at his lovely waltz jump.

@toddyu6709 Жыл бұрын

WOW... all these axels, the lift, the height, the landing... just way more graceful than 90% of the jumps we see in IJS world

@iggyreilly2463 Жыл бұрын

What beautiful skating. The distance and elegance ... so different from today.

@lydwinaofschiedam2685 Жыл бұрын

Although a triple axel seems extremely common place today, the first ratified 3A was not completed until 1978 (by Vern Taylor). So this was a big deal for its time.

@stinald Жыл бұрын

Sorry but ratified or not, David Jenkins and Ilia Malinin are the record breakers 🏆

@lydwinaofschiedam2685 Жыл бұрын

@@stinald Ilia Malinin has been credited for the first 4A done in competition - he wasn’t born until 2004. Skaters aren’t credited for a jump unless it’s done during competition. My point wasn’t who did the first 3A - it was how amazing a 3A was for the time.

@jondavwal13 5 ай бұрын

@@lydwinaofschiedam2685 Actually when you see the one done in 1957 by David Jenkins ratified or not, it’s not so amazing.

@pepitone201 Жыл бұрын

Yes, it was also nice to see Toller Cranston and Jan Hoffmann cheer him on as well as USSR pair skater Ludmila Smirnova giving Gordon a hug as he exited the ice.

@sueshow401 Жыл бұрын

Wonderful transitions from seeing an accurate flowing simple 3 jump to a single to a double to a triple Axel. CONGRATULATIONS!

@dorimurray2777 Жыл бұрын

Wow!! The speed! The height! The delay! The TALENT!

@normano3573 Жыл бұрын

Sounds like Lussi technique!

@paulasfigureskating5612 Жыл бұрын

What an awesome set of waltz and Axel jumps including that gorgeous triple Axel! 🙂❤ floskate, thank you for sharing!

@larhumba4233 Жыл бұрын

I think this is the first clockwise lefty 3A I've ever seen! What great Gala entertainment and great to see super length on the jumps aswell as height. Can't bear jumps done on the spot. With 70s & 80s skaters a Single or Open or Delayed Axel was a thing of beauty because of the length of travel. Robin Cousins was master of it. Thank you as always Flo for keeping the past heroes alive. 🙏 🥰

@npe1 Жыл бұрын

Todd Eldredge did clockwise lefty 3As but two decades after Gordie. For a few years Gordie was in the Guinness Book of Records as having done the first 3A but not in competition but in public - I think it referred to this attempt in Munich in 1974 in the exhibitions. However, there is footage elsewhere on YT (posted by Floskate no less!) of David Jenkins doing a 3A in practice as far back as 1957! But obviously the ISU don't ratify anything until it is done in competition, hence it wasn't until 1978 when Vern Taylor landed 3A at Worlds in Ottawa. Still this is a great 3A by Gordie.

@stinald Жыл бұрын

DAVID JENKINS🏆

@stinald Жыл бұрын

@@npe1 - Sorry but ratified or not, David Jenkins and Ilia Malinin are the record breakers 🏆

@npe1 Жыл бұрын

@@stinald I've not disputed that anywhere. Why the aggression?

@aromaticchicken518 Жыл бұрын

Rudy galindo was also a lefty with great triple axels, and tomoki hiwatashi does them as well :)

@mikelebeau3854 10 ай бұрын

this is my step-son's son grandpa!

@ni_c00pt Жыл бұрын

It's so interesting how much figure skating has evolved, even the way he does backwards crossovers...

@auroraborealis6009 Жыл бұрын

He didn't even have to pull in that hard. Amazing.

@DaphneHarridge Жыл бұрын

Great jumps, but gosh, that edging!! 😍 Thank you for posting this.

@lydwinaofschiedam2685 Жыл бұрын

There was something to be said for the emphasis that used to be placed on figures.

@DaphneHarridge Жыл бұрын

@@lydwinaofschiedam2685 , absolutely. ⛸

@MM-co4lf Жыл бұрын

That was a beauty

@pepitone201 Жыл бұрын

Unglaublich. ! This was not aired on US tv . Gordon also attempted the triple axel jump at the 1975 US national figure skating championships. 😃

@pepitone201 Жыл бұрын

Thank you Floskate 😁😘

@barkingtree88 Жыл бұрын

Amazing history, thanks for sharing! Loved the arm movements leading up to the jump.

@ddjr6673 Жыл бұрын

Once again, thank you floskate! The 3A is wonderful as is the quality of the video! Thank you so much.

@martypellow9908 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for posting! Incredible! Four years before Vern Taylor! And much better than his. I am not familiar with Gordon’s career but why didn’t he ever land in competition? I notice P says he tried it at 1975 US nationals. Did he come close? Funny that Tiffany Chin also landed a triple axel in an exhibition at 1982 Skate America, long before Midori Ito landed the first official one in 1989.

@IceAintNice Жыл бұрын

“McKellen's attenipt for a triple‐axel jump - 3½ turns in in the air - fell short as he landed forward and tumbled to the ice. He managed to stay up the rest of the way and received marks of 5.7 to 5.9 to win the championship.”