It's almost shocking how light he is on the ice. Even when landing from jumps and leaps, he's like a delicate bird just gracefully putting his feet down. It's incredible!

I remember watching this live at the time. No one will ever come close to John Curry. His baletic masterý combined with sheer brilliance in ice skating will mean he will never be surpassed. A true legend on the ice.

Never ceases to take my breath away. The Royal Ballet on ice.

I believe in these moments on the Olympic ice that John Curry transformed the sport of figure skating. He is a legend. There is not a moment that he doesn’t use all of his body to the flow of the music. May he rest and reign in powerful and precious peace.

The first time I saw this, back in 1976, it seemed to me like he was creating the music as he moved, so closely did he match it with his movement. Even nearly 45 years later, this still looks as fresh and joyous as ever.

The greatest male figure skater in history.

This is simply incredible. My mum told me about him but, never, in my wildest dreams, thought he would be this good. Reduced me to tears. Astonishing!

Most skaters learn to dance but John was a dancer who learned to skate superbly

I'd rather watch this artistry and mastery of jumps than today's quad frenzy. By FAR one of my favorite performances. Just exquisite

His unpleasant father wouldn't let him study ballet. Boy, did John get the last laugh. This is ballet on ice and has never been equalled for sheer, simple grace.

Ballet on ice. Incredible and by far best male skater ever. 🇬🇧

Most elegant male skater in the history of figure skating.

It was skating, it was ballet, rhythmic, graceful, precise and elegant, and he still made it seem easy.

Still the greatest single performance in skating- every stroke was exactly to the music- this is skating, holding positions and edges, not just moving from jump to jump Thanks for posting

I remember watching Curry's routine live in 1976, and I haven't seen it again till this evening. I wept with joy then; and I can't hold back the tears now. What a privilege it is to witness a genius of the ice at the very top of his game. For sheer elegance, grace and technical ability rendered effortless, it will never be surpassed. Flamecapped

I am a psychoanalyst by profession but a skater in my soul. I had the great fun and the wonderful opportunity as a younger person to train with John Curry. It was like being supervised by Freud !! He was a wonderful teacher as he knew how hard each move could be especially if you were not a "natural" as he was. Not only could he do everything on both feet in both directions but his extension was so great he had to drill holes in the back of his boots to allow him to extend as far as he was able. I gave him a pair of antique ice skates as a gift.I have a photo of him stroking them .He did not have any antique skates . You can imagine how happy that made me to give them to him. I'll never forget him telling me how to hold my self from my head down...each position for each body part...just when I thought I had it all just so he said " Now lift your little toe on your left foot." And he was right! It changed the balance perfectly. It was a privilege to know him and skate with him as my teacher.

I wish more people could see this! Forever in our hearts - you are not forgotten John

This has to be the best performance of all time surely..it was breathtaking.

His triple jump is magnificent.

Never, not even Robin Cousins, could skate with such dignity and grace as John. He appeared to float above the ice. I could watch him for hours.

This is figure skating! Extraordinary lines and what a beautiful performance! So sad he is gone….

DAMN. That's one of the most flawless routines I've ever seen. Ever. Bravo.

So very graceful, his skating was beautiful.

Like one of the great artists of the world we will never know or see the same again. Gone but his masterpiece lives on forever. 😀

Poetry in motion. Always loved John Curry. He had a perfect line. I once went to see him act in Hard Times in the Lyric Theatre Belfast. Then I saw him the next day on the train. I so much wanted to go up and say how much I admired his work, but my courage failed me. Will always regret that as he died just a few years later. RIP.

I loved this performance. Yuzuru Hanyu is now my favorite, along with John. I didn't know John died. I will have to look up what from. John reminded me of Anthony Dowell, my favorite ballet dancer. I cried at the end of this performance. How ironic that, after all these years of not seeing it, it has that effect on me.

This man is the best male skater you will ever see. He made all previous Russian male skaters look like wooden planks. He originally wanted to be a ballet dancer, but his father wouldn't hear of it, so his mother helped him, to 'convert' his ballet movements to skating. Thank God he was able with the help of trainer Carlo Fassi to leave us the legacy of a genius of a skater, who when watching him KNEW HE WOULD NEVER FALL OVER!

Ballet on ice. Still the most elegant skater I’ve ever seen in my life. Just beautiful.

Never ever been a better skater than John👍👍

Utter perfection! Still sadly missed, taken far too young :(

The greatest sportsman Britain has ever produced. A performance I never get tired of watching.

The music John skated to at the 1976 Olympics at Insbruck was a melody from the Don Quixote ballet music by Ludwig Minkus. John was truly more than a skater he was an artist which no one has ever come close to emulating or ever will, sheer brilliance.

just look at him!! what an absolute king

No quads, no 3A, a few double jumps, but this was brilliant! I keep coming back. Like with Nadia Comaneci. They were both Olympic champions in 1976. Pure beauty.

I remember watching this all those years ago, and I still think it’s it most beautiful skating performance I’ve ever seen. ❤️❤️❤️

Such a pleasure to watch Curry perform. How skating has changed with all the circus tricks taking the place of artistic excellence.

I still get goosebumps watching him 💚

I first met John Christmas Eve 1976 when he was staying at a flat in Earls Court. I was with a friend (another skater) who knew him - we nearly invited him back for Christmas but I told my friend that he would probably spend it with friends and family. We said goodnight and 15 mins later he was mugged and spent Christmas in A & E. He later told us that he would have spent Christmas on his own anyway. I have felt guilty ever since.

Perfection,a ballerina on ice,how lucky are we to see this majestic performance in all its stupendous glory,rest in peace John,you wer UNIQUE 🍾👍🍾👍🍾😍

I remember watching John Curry win his gold, alone on a tiny black and white telly, in my bedroom. No one else was interested!

Like a passing comet, he came and went--only to be seen once in my lifetime as a child...RIP John Curry. You were a great one and there will never be another.

Grace and elegance personified. He was amazing.

Britain ‘s pride and joy ! ❤️

He stays today the greatest of all times !

For some reason this 1976 Olympic program popped up again today and I have taken a few minutes to watch it yet again. I had forgotten how amazingly well John was able to spin in both a clockwise and counterclockwise direction and recall seeing him at Richmond a few years before where he was proficient at jumping in both directions as well. As always a program to remember and watch over again from time to time....

Totally mesmerising. Never seen any man as graceful and elegant on the ice as John Curry in this performance.

Such beautiful balletic lines, such grace and artistry! He wanted to be a ballet dancer but his father wouldn’t let him even have classes. Rest in peace, John.

The most beautiful performance I have ever seen; so elegant.😊

I have been a fan of figure skating for decades and have always thought THIS performance was the FINEST I have ever seen. The combination of grace, athleticism, and attention to the music sets this performance far above anything being performed these days. I understand the public' desire to see the triple jumps, but the beautiful edges and elegance of each movement are what made John Curry so special. Thanks so much for posting this.

Just look at the depth on those edges. Perfect. People often forget that no only was John a great free skater but he was also a great compulsory figure skater too that's why he won by a mile in Innsbruck because he performed superbly in all 3 sections of the competition.

well if he hadn't been a skater he could have easily been a ballet dancer, he has that much grace and finesse and an acute sense of timing to the music, its that kind of style that put him a notch above his competitors, technically brilliant but with the highest level of grace and artistry, those things combined made him stand out.

What artistry! No amount of today's acrobatic triple & quadruple jumps could come anywhere near this skater!

Великолепен!

he never seems to be mentioned but was our best skater ever

I just cannot imagine anything better than this. A combination of artistry and magic.

Timeless! This routine will forever remain an absolute masterpiece. It has it all: technicality, artistry, musicality and beautiful flow from start to finish. It will always stand up to the test of time....

I, too,, had forgotten how truly fabulous he was. Total control, combined with an athleticism and grace that have ensured that he will never be forgotten as one of the greatest.

Brilliant. He has a lightness so often missing these days. Notice how he can spin BOTH ways, equally well? That would take extensive training to be able to do!

In 1976, two athletes brought perfomances that still cannot be matched so far: John Curry and Nadia Comaneci.

Graceful, elegant and yet seemingly effortless. What a skater.

Великолепный!Элегантный!Красивый!Балетный!Утонченный!

I never tire of this watching this either. I know it's not as technical by today's standards, but it's so smooth and elegant. He always looked as though he was performing ballet on ice.

How elegant and graceful he was!

So fluid and graceful. Today's skaters look a bit stressed in comparison and often don't skate clean because they're going for the quadruple jumps. Same thing has happened to gymnastics floor.

I will never forget this . We as a family were watching , but my Dad was reading a newspaper pretending not to care. When the Russian skater came out he shouted "fall on your arse!" and he DID! John Curry got gold. RIP to the Great John Curry.

Балет на коньках,движение вместе с музыкой воспринимаются очень органично.Браво!!!Видно из-за этого сочетания многие приходили и в балет,и в фигурное.

Gorgeous balletic line and carriage!!

A brilliant technician of his time...he really felt the music...so obvious...very rare!! RIP John Curry..

Absolute control, perfect form, style and grace. He was an amazing performer on the ice. It was wonderful to watch this again!

Wow, how smooth and graceful he was. The routines today are much harder--those jumps--but this is just so beautiful. Elegant is so the right word for his style.

I always remember the roses being thrown on the ice and my mum shouting "Oh my God, Oh my God" in joy :-)

Back again, to watch ice skating at it best.. What an amazing, talented beautiful man.. John Curry is simply, in my humble opinion, the best interpreter of whatever music he decided to skate to.. Marvellous, sublime, beautiful effortless and awe-inspiring.. WOW .. WOW .. And TRIPLE WOW :D

I will never forget this performance. I was a 15 year old child and the entire family watched. Apart from my Dad. He pretended to read a newspaper. When the Russian favourite took to the ice, my Dad shouted "Fall on your arse" and that was what he did.

I was 15 at the time and was totally mesmerised by this. He really was a Superstar.

I never tire of watching John Curry's outstanding performance at the 1976 Innsbruck olympic games. He is the best skater ever, a true artist. Rest in peace John, you will never be forgotten.

There are no words. Utterly astonishing.

Loved watching this powerful and elegant skater, who made it all look so effortless. Rest In Peace John, you will always be remembered for having brought great beauty and style to a very difficult and demanding sport.

So graceful. Loved his skating and choice of music. FABULOUS!

Simply the best. Sadly 2 great figures in this video are no longer with us. RIP John Curry and Carlo Fassi.

One of the all-time greats for sure. Beautiful choreography making it all look so easy. Ballet on ice. Thanks John.

There are quads. And there is John Curry. Exemplified the Art of Figure Skating.

Wonderful, simply wonderful.

I remember watching this in 1976 and was blown away then. Watched it today and he is still the greatest skater.

I remember my Mum letting me stay up to watch this, the fluidity of John's arm movement , with the little flick finishes and the precise and perfect skating will always be remembered.. What an amazing skater and truely amazing man... WOW ... Happy memories for me today ... :0)x

Cross-foot spins, one foot axels... moves no one does any longer, too bad. It was wonderful to see John Curry's long program from the Olympics. He made it look so effortless, but we all know it wasn't. And how lovely was it to watch it without all the talking over the music. Wish they would go back to that. Thank you for posting this.

Magnificent! Today's male figure skaters have so much to learn in terms of artistic grace.

Pure beauty!

It's pointless to say that technically this routine does not match up to today's standards - if Curry had needed a quad to win in 1976 - he would have learned to do one! His style and grace are matchless.

I remember this. I sent John a letter and he replied. Such grace and balletic artistry. Thank you for this

An absolutely brilliant skater. Definitely the best. So sad John left us so soon. His legacy lives on and cannot be surpassed xx

This and Tornville and Dean are the greatest performances

Pure brilliance

John Curry was one of the most elegant skaters we've ever had ... he was one of the greats and was instrumental in beginning my love affair with watching figure skating so many years ago. I find I still compare so many of today's skaters to him even after all this time.

He is incredible... and what is, I think, unique, is he jumps and spins in opposite directions!!

Wow, I had forgotten just how good John was. Amazing, I loved it then, I love it now.

Loved watching John Curry dance , he was so graceful , he brought a new dimension to ice skating never been seen since , he was unique .

OK I watched it live in 76 when I was 12. I think he was so unique and special no judge dared not give him 1st place. It's not true that Torvill and Dean made figure skating an art - John Curry already did that.

Light as a feather, every movement is perfect, every pose is perfect.

Now this is FIGURE skating. No quads required.

My mum went to see him on stage in London. Still to this day she talks about him . He came out back stage and signed her show programme for her . My mum used to skate at Michael sobells in Holloway .❤