Blades of glory

Champion skater John Curry was a trailblazer both on and off the ice

- BY SUE LEE

SPORTS fans who still think Britain's winter sports glory began with Torvill and Dean’s astounding Bolero routine need to put those thoughts on ice.

Their spectacular performance rightfully won them 1984 Olympic gold, something GB pair Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson would love to match in the current Games.

But the trailblazer was John Curry, whose balletic perfection 50 years ago made him the first British male figure skater to win Olympic gold. His bravery on the ice was matched by his courage in life when he revealed he had been diagnosed with HIV and Aids.

Yet the man who revolutionised men’s skating and was one of the first high-profile sports figures to be openly gay has slipped off the world’s radar. A new biography, play and ice show look set to remedy that...

Bill Jones, author of Alone: The Triumph and Tragedy of John Curry, says: “He’s one of the bravest men I’ve ever read about or encountered. John hasn’t been given the credit he deserves.

“He was one of those rare people who completely subvert, break down and reconstruct a sport. What he did on the ice was magical.

“Just the memory of it could bring tears to eyes. He was a genius but he was also controversial, dark and complicated.”

Skater Robin Cousins, who won Olympic gold in 1980 and is president of governing body British Ice Skating, says that watching John was mesmerising.