Zoltán Kelemen (born 31 July 1986) is a Romanian former competitive

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

. He is an eight-time Romanian national champion. He qualified for the free skate at the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

, the 2014 World Championships, five

European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

, and two World Junior Championships.

Personal life

Kelemen was born on 31 July 1986 in

Miercurea Ciuc Miercurea Ciuc (; ; ) is the county seat of Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, a mainly Hungarian-speaking ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, and is situated in the Olt River valley. The city administers three ...

, Romania. He is of Hungarian descent. He lost the sight in his right eye at age seven, following an accident involving an exploding aerosol can.

Career

Due to his vision impairment, Kelemen failed the yearly physical Romania requires of its athletes to get permission to compete. He was required to sign an annual waiver declaring that he was competing "on his own responsibility." In the 2004–05 and 2005–06 season, Kelemen competed on the

ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international figure skating competition, junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded ...

series and at the World Junior Championships. In 2007, he won his first senior national title and was given his debut at the European Championships and senior World Championships. At the

2009 Nebelhorn Trophy The 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy was held between September 23 and 26, 2009 in Oberstdorf, Germany. It served as the final Olympic qualifier to the 2010 Winter Olympics. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skati ...

, Kelemen earned a spot for Romania in the Olympic men's event. He began training in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and qualified for the free skate for the first time in his career at the 2010 European Championships. He then competed at the

2010 Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

, placing 29th. Kelemen placed a career-best 14th at the 2012 European Championships. In August 2012, he decided to train in Switzerland with

Gheorghe Chiper Gheorghe Chiper (born 8 April 1978) is a Romanian former competitive figure skater. He is an eight-time Romanian Figure Skating Championships, Romanian national champion and competed at two Olympic Games. He is the first Romanian skater to win a ...

; he also works in Switzerland as he receives little support from the Romanian skating association. Kelemen earned another Olympic berth for Romania at the

2013 Nebelhorn Trophy The 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy was held on September 26–28, 2013 at the Eislaufzentrum Oberstdorf. It is held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany and is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain. Medals were awarded in men's and ladies' singles, pa ...

. At the

, he qualified for the free skate and finished 23rd.

Programs

Results

''GP:

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

; JGP: Junior Grand Prix''

2004–05 to 2013–14

1998–99 to 2003–04

References

External links

*
Zoltan Kelemen
at Tracings

at Rinkresults {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelemen, Zoltan Romanian sportspeople of Hungarian descent Romanian male single skaters Sportspeople from Miercurea Ciuc 1986 births Living people Figure skaters at the 2010 Winter Olympics Figure skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics Olympic figure skaters for Romania Székely people 21st-century Romanian sportsmen