Gwendal Peizerat (born 21 April 1972) is a French former competitive
ice dancer
Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. Ac ...
. With
Marina Anissina
Marina Vyacheslavovna Anissina (russian: Марина Вячеславовна Анисина; born 30 August 1975) is a Franco-Russian ice dancer. Competing with Gwendal Peizerat for France, she is the 2002 Olympic champion, the 1998 Olympic ...
, he is the
2002 Olympic champion, the
1998 Olympic bronze medalist, the
2000 World champion, and a six-time
French national champion.
Personal life
Both of Gwendal Peizerat's parents were involved in figure skating, his father serving as the general secretary of the French federation and his mother in charge of a club in Lyon.
[ His sister is two years older.
Peizerat holds a management degree from EMLYON Business School, a DEUG in materials science, and a maîtrise in STAPS from ]Claude Bernard University Lyon 1
Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 (french: link=no, Université Claude-Bernard Lyon 1, UCBL) is one of the three public universities of Lyon, France. It is named after the French physiologist Claude Bernard and specialises in science and technol ...
.[ He has two daughters, Shanelle (born in 2012), and Lilas (born 21 December 2013). He released a single "Baby Rock" in 2014.][
]
Skating career
Early years
Peizerat started skating at age four[ when he and his sister followed their parents to the ice rink. He went into ]ice dancing
Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. Ac ...
straight away. He was coached by Muriel Boucher-Zazoui
Muriel Boucher-Zazoui is a French coach and choreographer, and retired competitive ice dancer. She competed with Yves Malatier, and together they are the 1977 and 1978 French national champions. They competed twice at the European Championships ...
since the age of six and throughout his entire career.[
Boucher-Zazoui paired seven-year-old Peizerat with his first partner, French skater Marina Morel, who was the same age as him; Morel and Peizerat skated together for fourteen years.][ They won bronze at the 1989 World Junior Championships and then silver in 1991. Morel retired in 1992.
]
Partnership with Anissina
Following the end of his partnership with Morel, Peizerat responded to a letter he had received a few months earlier from Russian World Junior champion Marina Anissina
Marina Vyacheslavovna Anissina (russian: Марина Вячеславовна Анисина; born 30 August 1975) is a Franco-Russian ice dancer. Competing with Gwendal Peizerat for France, she is the 2002 Olympic champion, the 1998 Olympic ...
, who chose him after watching competitions on video.[
Anissina arrived in Lyon in February 1993 and wanted to take him to Russia but his family objected.][ She settled in France, focusing intensely on skating and insisting her partner, who was dividing his time between skating and his education, be equally focused on their career. Their first year together produced many quarrels and they came close to splitting up.][ Their coach ]Muriel Boucher-Zazoui
Muriel Boucher-Zazoui is a French coach and choreographer, and retired competitive ice dancer. She competed with Yves Malatier, and together they are the 1977 and 1978 French national champions. They competed twice at the European Championships ...
, however, immediately felt it was a promising partnership, saying "They are like fire and ice".[
Anissina and Peizerat were selected for the ]1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fro ...
in Lillehammer
Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the municip ...
but her French citizenship was granted a few weeks too late.[ The Olympics, unlike most skating competitions, require both partners to be citizens of the country they are representing.
Anissina and Peizerat won the 1998 Olympic bronze medal and 1998 and 1999 World silver medals behind ]Anjelika Krylova
Anjelika Alexeyevna Krylova (russian: Анжелика Алексеевна Крылова; born 4 July 1973) is a Russian retired Ice dancing, ice dancer. With partner Oleg Ovsyannikov, she is the 1998 Figure skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics, ...
and Oleg Ovsyannikov
Oleg Vladimirovich Ovsyannikov (russian: Олег Владимирович Овсянников; born 23 January 1970) is a Russian former competitive ice dancer. With partner Anjelika Krylova, he is the 1998 Olympic silver medalist and two-tim ...
. The Russians retired due to injury and Anissina and Peizerat then developed a rivalry with the Italians Barbara Fusar-Poli
Barbara Fusar-Poli (born 6 February 1972) is an Italian ice dancing coach and former competitor. With partner Maurizio Margaglio, she is the 2001 World champion, 2001 European champion, and 2002 Olympic bronze medalist. They won nine Italian titl ...
and Maurizio Margaglio
Maurizio Margaglio (; born 16 November 1974) is an Italian ice dancing coach and former competitor. With partner Barbara Fusar-Poli, he is the 2001 World champion, 2001 European champion, and 2002 Olympic bronze medalist. They won nine Italian ...
. The French won the 2000 European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
and World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
.[
In 2001, Anissina and Peizerat won European and World silver behind the Italians but surged past them in 2002 to reclaim their European title and become the Olympic Champions. At the 2002 Olympics, they led after the compulsory dances and the original dance. Their free dance, "Liberty", mixed music with sections from the famed freedom speech by ]Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
; a 5-4 split of the judges' panel had them in first place in this segment ahead of Irina Lobacheva
Irina Viktorovna Lobacheva (russian: Ирина Викторовна Лобачёва; born 18 February 1973) is a Russian former competitive ice dancer. With partner and former husband Ilia Averbukh, she is the 2002 Olympic silver medalist, the ...
and Ilia Averbukh
Ilia Izyaslavich Averbukh (russian: Илья Изяславич Авербух, correctly spelled "Ilya"; born 18 December 1973) is a Russian ice dancer. With his then-wife Irina Lobacheva, he is the 2002 Olympic silver medalist, the 2002 World ...
, and they became the first French ice dancers to win the Olympic gold medal.[
After the Olympics, Anissina and Peizerat retired from competition but continued skating together for many years in shows around the world.][ During their career, they represented the club Lyon TSC. Their signature move was Anissina lifting Peizerat off the ice, switching the traditional gender roles in lifts.
Peizerat was named a Chevalier of the ]National Order of Merit (France) An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit.
Order of merit may also refer to:
* FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football
* PDC O ...
in 1998 and a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
in 2003.[ He has done some choreography for other skaters.][
]
Post-skating career
In 2003, Peizerat founded a consulting firm, Soléus.[ He has also worked for ]Eurosport
Eurosport is a group of pay television networks in Europe and parts of Asia. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through Warner Bros. Discovery Sports#Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe properties, its international sports unit, it operates two ...
, interviewing athletes.[
In 2010, Peizerat was elected regional councillor on the list of the ]Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...
in the Rhone Alpes region and was subsequently appointed Councillor Delegate in charge of sports in the Regional Executive headed by Jean-Jack Queyranne
Jean-Jack Queyranne (born 2 November 1945) is a French politician. He has been the Regional President of the Rhône-Alpes since June 2002 (succeeding Anne-Marie Comparini) and is a deputy in the National Assembly from the seventh district of R ...
.
Programs
With Anissina
With Morel
Competitive highlights
With Anissina
With Morel
References
External links
Official Website GwendalPeizerat.com
*
(English)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peizerat, Gwendal
1972 births
Living people
People from Bron
French male ice dancers
Olympic figure skaters of France
Figure skaters at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Figure skaters at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for France
Olympic bronze medalists for France
Olympic medalists in figure skating
World Figure Skating Championships medalists
European Figure Skating Championships medalists
World Junior Figure Skating Championships medalists
Medalists at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 1998 Winter Olympics
European champions for France
Emlyon Business School alumni
Season-end world number one figure skaters
Regional councillors of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Sportspeople from Lyon Metropolis