At the 1988 Winter Olympics, Katarina Witt and Debi Thomas were considered the favorites to win gold. The media called their rivalry the "Battle of the Carmens," since Witt and Thomas skated to music from the opera Carmen.
Witt skated a clean, but conservative, program. Thomas did not skate well.
Elizabeth Manley, of Canada, skated the performance of her life, and won the long program. Manley, who was in third place after short program, came from behind and placed 2nd overall. She almost won Olympic gold, but was delighted with her silver medal. After the 1988 Olympics, Manley became a Canadian celebrity.
