Vanessa Gusmeroli
Encyclopedia
Vanessa Gusmeroli is a retired French
figure skater
and waterskier
. She was a three-time (00, 01, 02) French National Figure Skating Champion and won the bronze medal at the 1997 World Figure Skating Championships.
Gusmeroli first drew international attention at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in the fall of 1995, where she finished 5th overall. The French Figure Skating Federation sent her to the 1996 European Championships, where she skated a clean short program with a Triple Flip-double toe loop combination. Errors in the free skate dropped her to 8th overall. At the 1996 World Figure Skating Championships
in Canada, she finished in 14th place.
In her second senior season, Gusmeroli returned to her "Circus" themed free skate and used the music from the motion picture, "The Mask" for her short program. She represented the International team at The Continents Cup and finished 4th in the ladies portion. She also placed 4th at Trophée Lalique in Paris and won her first international medal a week later at The Nations Cup and her first medal at The French National Championships, a silver, in December 1996. Gusmeroli skated a clean short program at 1997 European Figure Skating Championships
, but dropped from second to sixth overall after a difficult free skate. At the 1997 World Figure Skating Championships
in Lausanne, she skated another clean short program while many other experienced skaters faltered, leaving her in 2nd place. In the free skate, she two-footed and fell out of her opening Triple Flip combination, but skated cleanly after that, placing fourth in the free skate and winning the bronze medal.
Gusmeroli experienced ups and downs during the 1997-1998 Season. She won the bronze medal at Trophée Lalique behind Laetitia Hubert and Tara Lipinski. With a theme of "Water, Earth, Wind and Fire" for her free skate, she won a spot on the Olympic Team by finishing third at The French National Championships, but was only 11th at The European Championship. At The 1998 Winter Olympic Games, a mistake in the short program cost her a chance at a medal, but she recovered with an strong free skate to finish 6th overall. With the added pressure to defend her bronze medal at The World Championships, she faltered and only finished 16th place.
Gusmeroli returned in better form in the 1998-1999 Season, once again winning the bronze medal at Trophée Lalique and silver at French Nationals. In her free skate, she portrayed a bank robber, an original theme that drew much attention. At the 1999 World Figure Skating Championships
, Gusmeroli skated to a third place finish in the short program, but an error on the triple flip
in the free skate dropped her to 5th.
A foot injury forced Gusmeroli out of the 1999-2000 Grand Prix Season. She made a coaching change, from Didier Lucine to Stanislav Leonovitch. Debuting a free skate to the Legends of the Fall
soundtrack, Gusmeroli won her first French National Championship and finished 4th at the Japan Open in January 2000. At the European Championships in Vienna, Gusmeroli skated well in all three portions of the competition, concluding her free skate in tears. She finished in 4th place overall because of her placement in the qualifying round. At the 2000 World Figure Skating Championships
in Nice, Gusmeroli skated poorly in the qualifying group and lost her chance at a medal.After skating a clean short program and free skate, she finished 4th overall.
Gusmeroli did not enjoy great success the next season. She debuted a new free skate to "Joan of Arc", but later changed back to "Legends of the Fall". She finished 9th at both European and World Championships in 2001.
In the fall of 2001, Gusmeroli won the Karl Schaefer Memorial in Vienna and placed 10th at Trophée Lalique. She captured her 3rd French title in December and went on to place 11th at Europeans. Facing tough competition at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, she skated a clean short program, but only placed 10th. In the free skate, she could only manage three triples and ended the night in 16th place.
Gusmeroli retired following the 2002 Olympics and eventually became an International Technical Specialist. She and her romantic partner Matthieu Jost have a daughter, born in 2009.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
figure skater
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
and waterskier
Water skiing
thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...
. She was a three-time (00, 01, 02) French National Figure Skating Champion and won the bronze medal at the 1997 World Figure Skating Championships.
Biography
Vanessa Gusmeroli began skating at age seven, and competed in both skating and water skiing, winning national titles in both sports and the junior European title in water skiing. At age 14, she was told she would have to commit to one sport, and decided to continue with her skating career.Gusmeroli first drew international attention at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in the fall of 1995, where she finished 5th overall. The French Figure Skating Federation sent her to the 1996 European Championships, where she skated a clean short program with a Triple Flip-double toe loop combination. Errors in the free skate dropped her to 8th overall. At the 1996 World Figure Skating Championships
1996 World Figure Skating Championships
The 1996 World Figure Skating Championships were the World Figure Skating Championships of the 1995-1996 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from ISU Member Nations competed for the title of World Champion. Skaters competed in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating,...
in Canada, she finished in 14th place.
In her second senior season, Gusmeroli returned to her "Circus" themed free skate and used the music from the motion picture, "The Mask" for her short program. She represented the International team at The Continents Cup and finished 4th in the ladies portion. She also placed 4th at Trophée Lalique in Paris and won her first international medal a week later at The Nations Cup and her first medal at The French National Championships, a silver, in December 1996. Gusmeroli skated a clean short program at 1997 European Figure Skating Championships
1997 European Figure Skating Championships
The 1997 European Figure Skating Championships were the European Figure Skating Championships of the 1996-1997 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU Member Nations competed for the title of European Champion...
, but dropped from second to sixth overall after a difficult free skate. At the 1997 World Figure Skating Championships
1997 World Figure Skating Championships
The 1997 World Figure Skating Championships were the World Figure Skating Championships of the 1996-1997 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from ISU Member Nations competed for the title of World Champion. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating,...
in Lausanne, she skated another clean short program while many other experienced skaters faltered, leaving her in 2nd place. In the free skate, she two-footed and fell out of her opening Triple Flip combination, but skated cleanly after that, placing fourth in the free skate and winning the bronze medal.
Gusmeroli experienced ups and downs during the 1997-1998 Season. She won the bronze medal at Trophée Lalique behind Laetitia Hubert and Tara Lipinski. With a theme of "Water, Earth, Wind and Fire" for her free skate, she won a spot on the Olympic Team by finishing third at The French National Championships, but was only 11th at The European Championship. At The 1998 Winter Olympic Games, a mistake in the short program cost her a chance at a medal, but she recovered with an strong free skate to finish 6th overall. With the added pressure to defend her bronze medal at The World Championships, she faltered and only finished 16th place.
Gusmeroli returned in better form in the 1998-1999 Season, once again winning the bronze medal at Trophée Lalique and silver at French Nationals. In her free skate, she portrayed a bank robber, an original theme that drew much attention. At the 1999 World Figure Skating Championships
1999 World Figure Skating Championships
The 1999 World Figure Skating Championships were the World Figure Skating Championships of the 1998-1999 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from ISU Member Nations competed for the title of World Champion. Skaters competed in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating,...
, Gusmeroli skated to a third place finish in the short program, but an error on the triple flip
Flip jump
The flip jump is a figure skating jump which takes off a backward inside edge with a toe pick assist, and lands on the backward outside edge of the opposite foot.-Flip technique:...
in the free skate dropped her to 5th.
A foot injury forced Gusmeroli out of the 1999-2000 Grand Prix Season. She made a coaching change, from Didier Lucine to Stanislav Leonovitch. Debuting a free skate to the Legends of the Fall
Legends of the Fall
Legends of the Fall is a 1994 epic drama film based on the 1979 novella of the same title by Jim Harrison. It was directed by Edward Zwick and stars Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins and Aidan Quinn. The film was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction , and Best...
soundtrack, Gusmeroli won her first French National Championship and finished 4th at the Japan Open in January 2000. At the European Championships in Vienna, Gusmeroli skated well in all three portions of the competition, concluding her free skate in tears. She finished in 4th place overall because of her placement in the qualifying round. At the 2000 World Figure Skating Championships
2000 World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion. This event is considered the most prestigious of the ISU Championships...
in Nice, Gusmeroli skated poorly in the qualifying group and lost her chance at a medal.After skating a clean short program and free skate, she finished 4th overall.
Gusmeroli did not enjoy great success the next season. She debuted a new free skate to "Joan of Arc", but later changed back to "Legends of the Fall". She finished 9th at both European and World Championships in 2001.
In the fall of 2001, Gusmeroli won the Karl Schaefer Memorial in Vienna and placed 10th at Trophée Lalique. She captured her 3rd French title in December and went on to place 11th at Europeans. Facing tough competition at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, she skated a clean short program, but only placed 10th. In the free skate, she could only manage three triples and ended the night in 16th place.
Gusmeroli retired following the 2002 Olympics and eventually became an International Technical Specialist. She and her romantic partner Matthieu Jost have a daughter, born in 2009.
Competitive highlights
| Event | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating... |
6th | 16th | ||||||||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
14th | 3rd | 16th | 5th | 4th | 9th | ||||
| European Championships European Figure Skating Championships The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion... |
8th | 6th | 11th | 5th | 4th | 9th | 11th | |||
| French Championships French Figure Skating Championships The French Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of France. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters compete at the senior level... |
7th | 5th | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||
| Skate America Skate America Skate America is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It is organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. The location changes yearly... |
7th | |||||||||
| Skate Canada International Skate Canada International The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies' singles, Men's... |
7th | |||||||||
| Trophée Lalique | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 10th | ||||||
| NHK Trophy NHK Trophy The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.... |
6th | 4th | 5th | |||||||
| Nations Cup Nations Cup The Nations Cup is a rugby union competition that was first held in 2006 at Estádio Universitário in Lisbon with Argentina A, Italy A, Portugal and Russia taking part... |
3rd | 6th | ||||||||
| Karl Schäfer Memorial Karl Schäfer Memorial The Karl Schäfer Memorial is an annual elite senior-level figure skating competition held in Vienna, Austria. Skaters compete in four disciplines: men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The competition is named for figure skater Karl Schäfer. The competition is usually held in... |
1st | |||||||||
| European Youth Olympic Festival European Youth Olympic Festival European Youth Olympic Festival, known by its initials EYOF, is a biennial multi-sport event for youth athletes from the 48 member countries of the association of European Olympic Committees. EYOF has a summer edition, held for the first time in Brussels in 1991, and a winter edition, which began... |
3rd | 2nd |