In 1987, he introduced his signature jump, the 'Boitano triple Lutz', in which the skater raises his left arm above his head.

[10] He would eventually include and successfully land eight triple jumps in his free skate program,[11] the maximum number possible (see Zayak rule).

[13] At the 1986 World Championships, Boitano took the title,[9] while Fadeev had a disastrous free skate despite having been in an excellent position to win; Orser finished in second place once again.

After losing the world title to Orser at home, Boitano and his coach Linda Leaver decided that some changes needed to be made if he was to become the Olympic champion.

[14] The short program was based on Giacomo Meyerbeer's ballet Les Patineurs, in which he plays a cocky young man showing off his tricks, using movements dating to the 19th century.

[14] In one moment, he wipes ice shavings, also called snow, off his skate blade and tosses it over his shoulder after landing a triple Axel combination.

The free skating program was based on the film score, Napoleon, detailing various phases of a soldier's life.

The team was so confident about the strength of his new programs that they omitted the quadruple toe loop which, if landed, could have put him a shoulder above Orser in technical merit.

For his free skate, Boitano wore a blue stretch suit with red braids and epaulets, and used military gestures and postures as much as his music allowed.

[19] It was later discovered that the Canadian Figure Skating Association had engaged in "vote trading" with several countries on the judging panel, particularly East Germany and the USSR.

[citation needed] This ultimately backfired, as the Soviet judge refused to follow this agreement and voting "with his conscience," placing Boitano first.

With his win, Boitano became the first Olympic champion to land the full complement of six types of triple jumps.

In June 1993, the International Skating Union (ISU) introduced a clause, commonly known as the "Boitano rule," which allowed professionals to reinstate as "amateur" or "eligible" skaters.

The ISU decision was the result of Boitano's active involvement during the early 1990s, when the International Olympic Committee lifted the remaining limits on athletes' remuneration.

Previously, the committee had been accused of rejecting Western professionals, while allowing Eastern Bloc state-sponsored "amateurs" to compete.

Going into the Olympics as a medal favorite in a strong field, Boitano missed his triple Axel combination during the short program for the first time in his career.

[28][22] In December 2013, Boitano was named to the United States delegation to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

[29][30] The Sochi games and Russia were the targets of criticism and LGBT activism because of a Russian anti-gay "propaganda" law passed in June 2013.

The film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) features a musical number titled "What Would Brian Boitano Do?".

On August 23, 2009, Food Network debuted a new series entitled What Would Brian Boitano Make?,[36] which borrows both its name and opening musical theme from the South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut song.