Elizabeth Manley (CAN) - 1988 Calgary, Ladies' Short Program

Calgary, Alberta, CANADA - 1988 Winter Games, Ladies' Short Program - Elizabeth Manley of Canada placed 3rd in the Short Program to move up to 3rd Place overall going into the Long Program.

[@RAFAAMARILLAS]

Can’t believe this was 36 years ago! Wonderful program.

[@novascotiaskater1868]

This was such a great moment….skating at home and skating the best she ever has….able to put it all together mentally and physically for this perfect event.

[@nightswimmer99]

Whatever she suffered through emotionally made her stronger, clearly. She was the bright spark in the ladies event.

[@debrakateri2979]

What a delightful program performed with such lightheartedness

[@TributetoCanada]

Precious footage of a wonderful moment!

[@janetsmith8566]

She’s so fun to watch 💕

[@mlc2005]

I'm surprised that Manley did not have more intricate footwork in this program, as I always thought her footwork was one of her greatest qualities. The footwork in her long program is perhaps the best in the competition. Weird.

[@monikajanusz-v4c]

pamiętam Jej występ. miałam 13 lat i byłam zachwycona. Pozdrawiam z Polski:)))))

[@michaeljj43]

the canadian judge gave her a 5.7 for artistic…what is hell was wrong with them!???

[@Marchjoy1963]

@mlc2005 Back in the old days the salchow was the first jump that you learnt,and usally the first triple; it is an edge jump though and and I do feel that the toe which is a pick jump is a bit easier.

[@cassidytracey8722]

Notice they didn't have water in bottles back in 1988.

[@scottw6704]

I don't remember bottled water even existing in stores til at least the mid-90s.

[@thomstephens]

outstanding flow and speed across the ice and while she was always considered an "athletic" skater, she really binds the choreography to the jumps well. I agree with the many comments that Witt was over-marked in this event.

[@muscleboi4use]

Totally agree! Those two female British judges were sometimes quite harsh, but always fair. Vanessa Riley was particularly harsh sometimes! :)

[@skaterboy3718]

Actually, Liz Manley's combo was more difficult than Katarina Witt's. She did do a great double axel and her double flip was significantly harder with arms over head variation. Witt was overmarked throughout the whole event. Manley was thrilled with several but probably deserved gold.

[@mattg.812]

Thrilled with several WHAT?

[@Schmoityface]

I think he meant Silver. And Witt won because East Germany had told she wouldn't skate again if she didn't win the gold. Very political.

[@braininahat]

Your true gold medalist.

[@iceroby72]

What a duble axel!!!

[@skaterboy3718]

Well two edge jumps (salchow and loop) back to back are far harder than a toe and edge jump - Katarina and those with the triple toe have time to reload you don't on edge and edge jump.\

[@1980NewWave]

I don't deny that Manley received some charitable marks here, but this was an era when Russian pairs skaters got 5.8s just for showing up, and Katarina Witt (most over-rated skater in figure skating history) got 5.9s for standing in one spot and doing a little dance on the ice. So Manley got a few kind marks, so what? It was usually her opponents who were on the receiving end of such charity. I'm sure even you wouldn't deny her a medal given her incredible free skate.

[@mlc2005]

So, let me ask: Back then, the salchow was considered the "easiest" triple jump, but in the new COP system, I notice that the salchow is given more points than the triple toe. Why is that?

[@matthewjameshall2145]

Brilliant

[@chriscoyne9717]

Totally robbed. Still got silver but deserved the gold when it comes to energy and technical merit

[@mircobotta6360]

Very beautiful but in my opinion Jiil Trenary's short was better!

[@jondavwal13]

Actually Ito was the winner. Her long program was 30 years ahead of its time. Nobody even belonged in the same event with her.

[@robjuddas3650]

With compulsory figures (where she was really weak) there was no way she could have won the event. If she won the short and long I am still not sure if she even gets the bronze.

[@michaelvaughn2091]

Ito was an amazing athlete and incredible jumper but, at these Olympics, she was still a young, immature skater. Her technique, while solid, was not as refined as it was to become later, while her artistry/style (never her strong point) lagged far behind the top competitors.

[@mikeg8375]

I agree that her long program was 30 years ahead of its time, But according to the rules that existed at the time, i think she mathmatically was looking at bronze at best. The factored placements made it hard for someone who performed poorly in figures to come back high enough to medal. I do think she deserved to win the long program. But I don't think it Mathmatically would have been possible for her to finish higher than third if she had.

[@ohhiitsjustme3445]

Ito’s long program jumping was OUT OF THIS WORLD! Honestly, I cannot think of a better jumper even since!! Her form, power, technique are unmatched

[@bindi06]

Liz is so dang cute! Like a little kewpie doll.

[@guyritchie7504]

Karyn Kadavy's short was much better and more technically difficult.

[@miloandtock1]

Ok, the 5.7s for techincal are unwarranted and the 5.8s for technical are a laughing stock joke - they were obviously meant to play to the Canadian home crowd - the delay little unsure landing on the combination jump (easiest of all the top girls), no deduction at all on the camel spin - that shouldve been 0.2 down, and the elementary footwork if you can call it that. Even Sally Stapleford - British judge sold her vote, gave her a 5.7 for technical - but she hammered other girls.

[@jokerwildest]

This was a good program... better than Witts, even with the camel spin. Witts positions and spin weren't very good. Don't know how she won this portion of the competition.

[@karrtt1234]

WTF is with the idiotic Canadian Judge.... ???? what is with the 5.7's !!!!

[@kmanyguns]

I know..dumb judge, probably cost her the Gold!!

[@scottw6704]

The Canadian judge's marks were consistent with the other judges' marks. You can't just give someone more points for being from your country...at least, you SHOULDN'T. Western Bloc countries rarely showed blatant favoritism in this time period, outside of maybe .1 here and there.

[@floben2039]

Disney on ice lol.

[@FelipeMarcusThomas1]

Great upload. Except for one thing. Liz did NOT place 3rd in the short program - she actually WON it (which did move her up to third from fourth), and she also won the long program as well. She only failed to win the gold medal BECAUSE of her fourth place finish in the compulsory figures, coupled with Katarina Witt's second place finish in the long over the Japanese skater (Midori Ito was her name I think, though I probably misspelled her name).

[@ytyt3922]

No. She won the long program. In the short program I believe she placed third.

[@matteod.ottaviani5421]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_skating_at_the_1988_Winter_Olympics

[@novascotiaskater1868]

She Won the long program and came third in this short program….

[@novascotiaskater1868]

Yes~ she did come 3rd in the short program.

[@Juice_Lover123]

Manley was 3rd, Witt was 1st, Thomas was 2nd. Manley's finishes were 4th, 3rd, 1st.

[@cagney1st]

Was it really necessary to bring up "her weight . . her bottoming out . . etc" by the announcers? They ALL do it and it's annoying as hell. I know this was long ago, but they're still too yappy during a skate.

[@metsedudenj]

Kadavy had a better short than this, combo was overrotated, camel spin sucked, and footwork was elementary. I had this short as the fourth best after Kadavy, Thomas, Ito. I had Trenary fifth. Those were your top five ladies

[@matthough3590]

I agree completely with your assessments. Kadavy's was clearly the most well-rounded and effortless program. Love Liz's spunk and effervescence, but the faults you mentioned are clearly present.

[@mattg.812]

I don't disagree about Kadavy, but her double axel did have a wonky looking skid coming out of it.

[@robjuddas3650]

So you had Witt only 6th in the short I take it?

[@will74lsn]

overrated

[@HeinzReusche]

Nein