Stéphane Lambiel
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Figure skating | ||
 |
2006 Turin | Men's singles |
| Stéphane Lambiel | |
|---|---|
 Stéphane Lambiel at the 2007 Grand Prix Final | |
| Full name | Stéphane Lambiel |
| Hometown | Saxon |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country |  Switzerland |
| Coach | Peter Grutter |
| Skating club | Patineurs de Genève |
| Retired | March 9, 2010 |
Stéphane Lambiel (born April 2, 1985 in Martigny, Switzerland) is a Swiss figure skater. He is a two-time (2005–2006) World Champion, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time (2005, 2007) Grand Prix Champion and a nine-time (2001–08, 2010) Swiss national champion. Lambiel is known for his spins and is credited with popularizing some spin positions.
He announced his retirement from competitive skating on October 16, 2008, citing an injury to the adductor muscle in one of his thighs.[1] However, on July 25, 2009, he announced that he would return to competitive skating and try to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. On March 9, 2010, he again announced his retirement from competition. [2]
Personal life
Lambiel grew up in Saxon, Switzerland. He has a sister, Silvia (born in 1982), and a brother, Christophe (born in 1989). Lambiel's mother is Portuguese. Lambiel lives in Lausanne, Switzerland and received his "maturité" (matura) in biology and chemistry in June 2004.[3]
Lambiel speaks French, German (not Swiss German), English, and Portuguese fluently. He is learning Italian.[4]
He has recurring injuries in both his knees, requiring him to miss exhibitions and training time. Unlike most figure skaters, Lambiel can spin and jump in both directions.[citation needed] He is able to do successive double axels, changing his rotation direction between each one. However, he has stopped training this.[citation needed]
Lambiel has many sponsors in Switzerland. In 2007, he designed a Swiss watch called the Spin Master.[5]
In 2008 interview, Alexei Mishin called him an "outstanding artist and spins genius" and added that his retirement is an "immense loss".[6] According to Mishin, Lambiel was "strangled by the modern figure skating regulations".
Career
Early career
As the Swiss novice men's champion, Lambiel performed an exhibition at the 1997 World Championships, held in Lausanne. The next year, he became Swiss junior men's champion and by 2000, he was the Swiss senior men's champion. He came in fifth at the 2001 World Junior Championships. The next season, Lambiel was age-eligible for senior international competition. The Swiss skating federation told him that they would send him to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City if he placed in the top twelve at the European Championships.[7] Lambiel placed fourth there and was sent to the Olympics, where he placed fifteenth. He then placed eighteenth at the Senior Worlds.
The following season, Lambiel placed fifth at Europeans and moved up a few places at Worlds. By 2004, he was sixth at Europeans and fourth at 2004 Worlds.
2004-2005 season
Lambiel was forced to miss the 2004–2005 Grand Prix season due to injury, but recouped to place 4th at Europeans.[citation needed]
At the 2005 World Championships in Moscow, Lambiel was ahead of Evgeni Plushenko after the qualifying round and short program. When Plushenko withdrew from the competition with an injury, Lambiel was suddenly in a position to win the title. He did, with a spectacular performance to the King Arthur soundtrack. He landed two quadruple toe loops in the free skate and was the only skater to do two at that event. It was the first time a Swiss man had been World Champion since Hans Gerschwiler in 1947.
2005-2006 season
Lambiel went into the 2006 Olympic season as the World Champion, but not as the favourite for the Olympic title. He won two silver medals on the Grand Prix circuit and won the Grand Prix Final. He came in second at Europeans, behind Plushenko, and went into the Olympics with a strong chance to medal. He was third after the short program, but pulled up to second to win the silver medal. Lambiel did not complete a triple axel at the Olympics. However, he did land a perfect quadruple toe loop-double toe loop-double toe loop combination.[citation needed]
Plushenko chose not to go to Worlds, leaving Lambiel as the favourite to defend his title. Lambiel was first after the qualifying round and maintained his lead through the short and the long programs, allowing him to successfully defend his title and become the first Swiss skater ever to be a two-time World Champion.[citation needed]
2006-2007 season
Lambiel began the 2006–2007 season by coming back from the short program to win the gold medal at Skate Canada International, where he finished seventh in the short program and first in the free skate. Lambiel had also been assigned to the NHK Trophy, but he withdrew before the event, citing health reasons.[8] He recovered in time to skate at the Swiss Championships, where he won his seventh national title.
However, on January 16, Lambiel withdrew from the European Championships, citing burnout.[9]
He competed again at the 2007 World Championships in Tokyo where he fell on his triple axel and tripled his intended quadruple toe loop-double toe loop combination in the short program and placed 6th. He came back in the long program where he landed two quadruple toe loops and a triple axel, showed great artistry and expression and earned a level four for three of his spins. Lambiel finished in 2nd on the night and 3rd overall.[citation needed]
2007-2008 season
In 2007, he finished 3rd at the Cup of China and 2nd at the Cup of Russia. He then went on to win the Grand Prix Final for a second time in his career with 239.10 points, only 0.16 points over Daisuke Takahashi.
At the 2008 European Championships in Zagreb, he had a disappointing short program where he fell on his triple axel and only did a triple toe loop-double loop combination and placed 4th. He finished 2nd in the long program where he landed a quadruple toe loop-double toe loop-double loop combination and earned 80 points in program components score for his exquisite program to Flamenco, in which he showed great expression as well as choreography skills. He won his second Silver European medal, while Czech Tomas Verner won the Gold.[10]
At the 2008 World Championships in Gothenborg, Sweden, Lambiel fell on his triple axel and put his hand down on a quad toe loop in the short program, putting him in fifth place going into the free skate. In the free skate, he stepped out of his triple axel attempt, put his hand down again on the quadruple toe loop in his combination, and then stepped out on his solo quadruple toe loop. He finished in fifth place overall.[11]
2008-2009 season
Lambiel did not compete that season after he announced his retirement from competitive skating. However, on he came back to competition for the 2009-2010 season, aiming to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
2009-2010 season
Lambiel began the 2009-2010 season competing at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy. He finished first at the short with 77.45 points, despite falling on his quadruple toe-loop, but getting level four on all the spins. He also won the free skate, earning a score of 154.91 points, where he landed a quadruple toe loop-double toe loop-double toe loop combination and a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, and also getting level four on two of his spins. In both programs he got great qualifications for presentation, showing great artistry, musicality and skating skills. Consequently, he won the title with 232.36 points, 26.13 ahead of silver medalist Ivan Tretiakov, qualifying Switzerland for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Lambiel won his ninth national title at the 2010 Swiss Figure Skating Championships. He placed first in both the short program and the free skate to win the gold medal with a total of 244.23 points, 44.78 ahead of Jamal Othman.
He competed in the 2010 European Figure Skating Championships, where he placed fifth in the short program with 77.75 points, after having problems with his quadruple toe-loop. He rebounded in the free skate earning 160.79 points to win the silver medal. Due to his expressive artistry and his musical style, his program components score of 85.00 was the highest of the night.[12] Overall, he scored 238.54 points, 16.85 behind Evgeni Plushenko.
He was the flag bearer for Switzerland at the 2010 Winter Olympics.[13]
At the 2010 Winter Olympics, for the short program he scored 84.63 points to finish fifth, 6.22 points away from short program winner Plushenko. He ended with 4th place after the free skate, ahead of Patrick Chan but below Plushenko, Daisuke Takahashi, and Evan Lysacek.
He announced, a day after the long program, that he had long decided to sit out the 2010 World Championships that will take place in Turin [14].
A few weeks later, he announced his retirement from competition. [15]
Coaching changes
Lambiel trained from 1995 through the 2007–2008 season with coach Peter Grütter, with a brief stop in 2004. He trained in Geneva and Lausanne and as most Swiss rinks close in the summer, he also trained in Germany (Oberstdorf sometimes) during that time. His choreographer has long been Salomé Brunner. He assists in designing his own costumes.[citation needed]
On June 6, 2008, Lambiel announced that he would be leaving coach Peter Grütter and moving to New Jersey to work with Viktor Petrenko and Galina Zmievskaya.[16] They coached him from June until his retirement in October 2008. When he announced his return to competition in July 2009, he said that he would be coached once again by Peter Grutter in Switzerland.[17]
Public life and endorsements
Lambiel's sponsors[18] include Ford Motor Company, Hublot and Swisscom.
He has toured in multiple ice shows all around the world, including the 2008 and 2009 Festa On Ice and the 2009 Ice All Stars, all of them held in South Korea and headlined by Kim Yu-Na. He has also performed in ice shows in Japan, Turin, Oberstdorf and Davos.
Programs
| Season | Short Program | Free Skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–2010 | William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini |
La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi Otoño Porteño by Ástor Piazzolla arranged by Ensamble Nuevo Tango |
Ne Me Quitte Pas by Jacques Brel |
| 2008-2009 | Did not compete this season | Did not compete this season | Otoño Porteño by Ástor Piazzolla Tainted Love by Paul Young Freak Like Me by Sugababes |
| 2007–2008 | Carne Cruda by Fernando Egozcue |
Poeta (Flamenco) by Vicente Amigo |
Un Giorno Per Noi from Romeo And Juliet by Josh Groban Father And Son by Ronan Keating Gimme More & Sexy Back by Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake |
| 2006–2007 | Geissel Drama by Christine Lauterburg The Blood Diamond Soundtrack by James Newton Howard |
Poeta by Vicente Amigo The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi |
Fix You by Coldplay New Shoes by Paolo Nutini Stayin' Alive by Robin Gibb |
| 2005–2006 | Malaguena from Once Upon a Time in Mexico Dralion by Cirque du Soleil |
The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi |
You're Beautiful by James Blunt If I Hadn't Got You by Lisa Stansfield I Don't Want to Be by Gavin DeGraw Fix You by Coldplay |
| 2004–2005 | Spanish Caravan by George Winston |
The Truman Show Soundtrack by Philip Glass and Burkhard Dallwitz King Arthur Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer |
E Lucevan e Le Stelle from Tosca by Florent Pagny Light My Fire by The Doors Killer by Seal Billie Jean by Michael Jackson Oceania by Björk |
| 2003–2004 | Objection (techno remix) by Shakira I'm A-Doun For Lack o' Johnnie (A Little Scottish Fantasy) by Vanessa Mae |
Zabuca by Johannes Linstead Loving Paris by Buddha Bar IV Gipsy Dance by Edvin Marton |
Take the Long Way Home by Supertramp |
| 2002–2003 | Laissez-moi Me Griser by Maurice El Medioni, Orchestra Salon Oriental |
Chocolat Soundtrack by Rachel Portman |
Magic Stradivarius by Edvin Marton La Vie Fait Ce Qu'Elle Veut by Julie Zenatti |
| 2001–2002 | Vuelvo Al Sur Ya Basta! by Gotan Project's Revancha del Tango |
Quidam by Cirque du Soleil |
Born by Bond |
| 2000–2001 | La Cumparsita by Xavier Cugat |
Triton by Joseph Racaille |
|
| 1999–2000 | La Cumparsita by Xavier Cugat |
Triton by Joseph Racaille |
Competitive highlights
Post-2003
| Event | 2003–2004 | 2004–2005 | 2005–2006 | 2006–2007 | 2007–2008 | 2009-2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games | 2nd | 4th | ||||
| World Championships | 4th | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 5th | |
| European Championships | 6th | 4th | 2nd | - | 2nd | 2nd |
| Swiss Championships | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| Grand Prix Final | 1st | 1st | ||||
| Cup of China | 2nd | 3rd | ||||
| Cup of Russia | 5th | 2nd | 2nd | |||
| Skate Canada International | 1st | |||||
| Nebelhorn Trophy | 1st |
- Lambiel did not compete in the 2008-2009 season.
- WD = Withdrew
Pre-2003
| Event | 1997–1998 | 1998–1999 | 1999–2000 | 2000–2001 | 2001–2002 | 2002–2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games | 15th | |||||
| World Championships | 18th | 10th | ||||
| European Championships | 9th | 4th | 5th | |||
| World Junior Championships | 10th | 5th | ||||
| Swiss Championships | 1st J. | 1st J. | 1st | 1st | 1st | |
| Ondrej Nepela Memorial | 1st | |||||
| Trophee Lalique | 6th | |||||
| Finlandia Trophy | 11th | |||||
| Les Etoiles de la Glace | 1st | |||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Mexico | 2nd | |||||
| Junior Grand Prix, France | 8th | 9th | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Norway | 7th | |||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Japan | 3rd | |||||
| Junior Grand Prix, China | 8th | |||||
| European Youth Olympic Festival | 2nd J. | |||||
| Triglav Trophy | 3rd N. |
- N = Novice level; J = Junior level
References
- ^ Two-time world champion Lambiel retires at 23 October 16, 2008
- ^ "Lambiel à la retraite". March 09, 2010. Retrieved March 09, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help); Unknown parameter|site=ignored (help) - ^ "Lambiel holds on to world skating title". Swissinfo. 2006-03-24. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- ^ "Stéphane Lambiel sur orbite" (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ^ "SPIN MASTER DESSINÉE PAR STÉPHANE LAMBIEL" (in French). Le Temps. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ^ "Тарасова вернулась. Ждем Плющенко?" (in Russian). Sovetskiy Sport. 2008-10-25. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/5070841/detail.html
- ^ ISU : Full Story
- ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070117/sp_wl_afp/fskateeurpolsui_070117154030
- ^ 2008 European Figure Skating Championships - Day 3 Highlights accessed October 16, 2008
- ^ 2008 World Figure Skating Championships - Highlights, Men's LP accessed October 16, 2008]
- ^ "2010 ISU European Figure Skating Championships, Men's FS Protocol" (PDF). International Skating Union. 2010-01-21. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- ^ "Skater Stephane Lambiel to carry Swiss flag". Associated Press . February 11, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
- ^ "Lambiel: «Je renonce aux championnats du monde»". February 19, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|site=ignored (help) - ^ "Lambiel à la retraite". March 09, 2010. Retrieved March 09, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help); Unknown parameter|site=ignored (help) - ^ SwissInfo.Ch: Lambiel Makes Coach Swap to Raise Stakes June 6, 2008
- ^ "Art on Ice" Press release July 25, 2009
- ^ Lambiel's official site-sponsors
External links
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