Barna was born 9 March 1966 in Prague.[1] In 1990, he married ice dancer Andrea Juklová, with whom he has a daughter, Sofie Barnová, born in April 1992.[2]
Career
Barna started skating in Prague at an outdoor rink and received lessons in 1972.[2] He began appearing at senior internationals in the 1982–83 season; he came in 18th place at the 1983 European Championships.[3] He was coached by František Pechar.[1] Figure skating historian James R. Hines said that Barna was a consistent skater throughout his 10-year career, continually improving in the rankings "while maintaining a relatively consistent balance between the compulsory figures and free skating".[3]
Barna sprained his right ankle as he was leaving the airport in Birmingham on his way to the 1989 European Championships.[2] Despite the injury, he medaled for the first time at an ISU Championship, winning bronze.
1991–92 was Barna's best competitive season. He won gold at the 1992 European Championships and a bronze medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. He landed a quad toe loop in his free skate. He is the first man to land a quad jump in Olympic history. He also received the first 6.0 for artistic expression in the history of the short program.[citation needed] He came in fourth place at the 1991 World Championships, his best placement at Worlds during his career. He won medals at Europeans between 1989 and 1992. As HInes states, his win at Europeans in 1992 was significant because he defeated Viktor Petrenko from Ukraine, which prevented Petrenko from winning all three major international titles that year. Barna also competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics, coming in 13th place, and won the bronze medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics.[3]
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, ESPN 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."[4]
Barna works as a coach in Oberstdorf, Germany, and has also appeared in several television skating programs.
