Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean made history on 14 February 1984 with a spectacular performance that stunned the world at the fourteenth Winter Olympics in Sarajevo (Yugoslavia before the Balkan wars). After leaving the world breathless, the British skating greats returned to the Bosnian capital on Wednesday to commemorate the anniversary of that achievement. 

On Valentine's Day, the legendary pair captivated a crowd of 8,000 at the Zetra sports hall, which was heavily bombed during the siege of the city eight years later. To the stirring rhythms of Maurice Ravel's 'Bolero', they beautifully interpreted the eternal drama of impossible love.

"Since then we've been scattered all over the world performing Bolero and everyone comes up to us and says, 'I remember where I was when I saw Bolero when you performed in Sarajevo'," Dean said at a press conference. Torvill and Dean were the first couple to receive a perfect score from all nine judges at the Olympic final in Sarajevo.

Their performance, which saw the music cut from 15 minutes to just over four, had a profound impact on both the history of figure skating and, of course, their lives. The pair were greeted by the Mayor of Sarajevo (now the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Mrs Benjamina Karic, before lacing up their skates later on Wednesday to take part in a show with young skaters. 

"Today we are experiencing the most beautiful emotions and we are truly honoured that our Torvill and Dean are in Sarajevo, in their Sarajevo, in their city," said Karic.

"Jayne and I always say to each other, 'Happy Bolero Day!,' because that's the day we won the Olympics," Christopher commented. And Bolero gave us that longevity. For 66-year-old Torvill, a return to Sarajevo in 10 years' time would also be something to look forward to. "Hopefully we'll be able to celebrate, but we're happy to be here today on the actual day we won the Olympics," she said. 

The pair have known each other since childhood and will celebrate 50 years of skating together in 2025. They will embark on their farewell tour in April, bringing an extraordinary career on ice to a close. "We are still best friends," Dean said.

Torvill and Dean were four-time world champions and three-time European champions. They decided to turn professional after Sarajevo, temporarily ending their Olympic careers. They returned to competition 10 years later in 1994, winning their fourth European championship and Olympic bronze in Lillehammer, Norway.