Background
Barna was born 9 March 1966 in Prague.
Barna was born 9 March 1966 in Prague.
He was the first man to land a quadruple jump in Olympic competition. Barna started skating in Prague at an outdoor rink and received lessons from 1972. He began appearing at senior internationals in the 1982-1983 season.
He was coached by František Pechar.
Barna sprained his right ankle as he was leaving the airport in Birmingham on his way to the 1989 European Championships. Despite the injury, he medaled for the first time at an International Skating Union Championship, winning bronze.
1991-1992 was Barna"s best competitive season. He became the first person to land a quad jump in Olympic competition, executing a quad toe loop in his free skate.
After placing sixth at the 1992 World Championship, Barna retired from amateur competition.
He then spent almost ten years as a professional skater, performing in the Champions on Ice tour and World cup tour, as well as competing in World professional competitions, Entertainment and Sports Programming Network Legends, Miko Masters and other events. He preferred amateur competition, saying, "In amateur skating, it matters how you skate. In professional, it matters how you dance.
And I don"t dance.
I liked amateur skating better."
Barna works as a coach now. He has appeared in several television skating programs.