CATALAN figure skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate narrowly missed qualifying for Olympic free skate with Minion routine after controversy.
Global outpour of support for the Spanish figure skater didn’t quite leave the judges clapping him along into the next round.
The 26-year-old has built a reputation for flamboyant, crowd-pleasing routines. This season, he has performed fully donned in a Minions costume, skating to music from the films.
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The six-time Spanish champion placed 25th after stumbling on a triple axel during the routine.
He placed just one spot short of qualifying for the Friday free skate.
That didn’t stop fans from cheering him on, after the routine itself nearly didn’t happen due to copyright issues.
Sabate had earlier revealed on Instagram that Universal Pictures had refused permission for the soundtrack to be used at the Winter Olympics, disappointing his growing fanbase.
He avoided a last-minute scramble to rework his signature routine, which finished 18th at the European championships, after fan pressure prompted Universal to reverse its decision.
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Universal and Pharrell Williams ended up giving the skater a green light to use music from the Minions franchise in his Olympic debut in Milan, resolving the copyright dispute.
Thanking supporters on Instagram, Sabate wrote: “Huge THANK YOU to everyone who reposted, shared and supported. Because of you Universal Studios reconsidered and officially granted the rights for this one special occasion.”
Guarino Sabate explained in an interview posted on Instagram that the song choice had been in the works for a long time.
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He had done a performance years ago entirely based on the Minions, to which he said had a lot of positive reactions.
The support continued when Guarino Sabate hit the ice on Tuesday, despite the routine failing to win any medals or make it to the next round.
Despite nerves and the early mistake, the Spanish skater said ‘it felt amazing.’
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