Gordie McKellen Jr - TRIPLE AXEL - 1974 WC Exhibition

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....

[@jja8750]

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

[@toddyu6709]

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]

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

[@pepitone201]

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.

[@lydwinaofschiedam2685]

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]

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

[@lydwinaofschiedam2685]

@@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]

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

[@sueshow401]

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

[@paulasfigureskating5612]

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

[@dorimurray2777]

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

[@normano3573]

Sounds like Lussi technique!

[@auroraborealis6009]

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

[@larhumba4233]

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]

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]

DAVID JENKINS🏆

[@stinald]

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

[@npe1]

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

[@aromaticchicken518]

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

[@ni_c00pt]

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

[@MM-co4lf]

That was a beauty

[@mikelebeau3854]

this is my step-son's son grandpa!

[@DaphneHarridge]

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

[@lydwinaofschiedam2685]

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

[@DaphneHarridge]

@@lydwinaofschiedam2685 , absolutely. ⛸

[@ddjr6673]

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

[@barkingtree88]

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

[@pepitone201]

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

[@pepitone201]

Thank you Floskate 😁😘

[@martypellow9908]

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]

“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.”

[@Itstonytime77]

And he did it with choreography going i to it

[@paolo1391]

This triple axle is far superior to Vern Taylor's triple Axel...

[@stinald]

Ratified or not, David Jenkins and Ilia Malinin are the record breakers 🏆

[@grantnoroyan4083]

He is also part of that in addition to those men

[@dashoverton1963]

This one looks better than Vern Taylor’s in 1978.

[@ninjalife8467]

Hasn`t Jenkins successfully done a 3,5 in exhibition in 1959?

[@floskate]

He did it for a newsreel in 1957. It's on my channel.

[@kbparis]

Why are you glorifying him, he was banned from Figure Skating for life by the USFSA in 2001.

[@michaelandrews1673]

He was banned for life for allegations that were never proven.

[@vivgotluv5622]

So he was banned doesn't mean he didn't accomplish his goals. I lived with him for 10 years and yes he made mistakes . And he paid for them.