James & Bonheur in exhibition in 2008. |
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Vanessa James |
| Country represented | France |
| Former country(ies) represented | United Kingdom |
| Born | September 27, 1987 Scarborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Residence | Paris |
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Partner | Morgan Ciprès |
| Former partner | Yannick Bonheur |
| Coach | Sergei Zaitsev Jean-Rolland Racle |
| Former coach | Vivien Rolland Karl Kurtz Priscilla Hill |
| Choreographer | Dominique Molina Sergei Zaitsev Olivia Candeloro |
| Former choreographer | Alexei Pelexei |
| Skating club | Francais Volants |
| Former training locations | Indianapolis Newark, Delaware |
| Began skating | 1998 |
| ISU personal best scores | |
| Combined total | 151.28 2010 Europeans |
| Short program | 52.04 2010 Europeans |
| Free skate | 99.24 2010 Europeans |
Vanessa James (born September 27, 1987) is a French-British figure skater who has competed internationally as both a single skater and pair skater. She has competed internationally for Great Britain as a single skater and for France as a pair skater.
James originally competed domestically in the United States and internationally for Great Britain as a single skater. She is the 2006 British national champion and 2007 national silver medalist. She switched to pair skating in 2007 and teamed up with Yannick Bonheur to compete for France. They are the 2010 French national champions. James and Bonheur ended their partnership after the 2010 season. In September 2010, she began a new partnership with Morgan Ciprès.
James became a French citizen in December 2009[1] She had previously traveled under an EU passport.[2]
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James was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. She lived in Bermuda until age 10 when her family moved to Virginia.[2] Her father is from Bermuda, which enabled James to hold British citizenship and to compete for Britain. While competing in singles, she lived and trained in the United States. She moved to France in 2007 to train with Bonheur.
Her twin sister, Melyssa James, is also a figure skater.
James originally competed domestically in the United States and represented the Washington Figure Skating Club. In 2005, she switched to competing for Great Britain. She was the 2006 British national champion and 2007 national silver medalist. James was the first British figure skating champion who was of Black African descent.[3] She competed for Britain on the ISU Junior Grand Prix and at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
She tried a partnership with British skater Hamish Gaman, but the partnership did not last.[3]
James teamed up with French skater Yannick Bonheur and began competing internationally with him in 2008. They made their Grand Prix debut at the 2008 Trophée Eric Bompard, where they placed 7th. They placed 10th at the 2009 European Figure Skating Championships and 12th at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships. In the 2009-2010 season, they placed 6th at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy, 8th at the 2009 Cup of China, and 8th at the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard. At the 2010 French Figure Skating Championships, they placed second in the short program and won the free skating to win the title overall. As a result, they were sent to both the Olympics and Worlds, where they finished 14th and 12th, respectively. James and Bonheur ended their partnership following the 2009-2010 season.[4]
In May 2010, James successfully tested for the French Federation with new partner Maximin Coia and they planned to train in Germany with Ingo Steuer but several weeks later he decided to end his amateur career.[5]
In September 2010, James began a new partnership with French former singles skater Morgan Ciprès.[4] They currently train at Bercy with coach Jean-Roland Racle. They will compete together in the 2011-2012 season and hope to represent France at the 2014 Winter Olympics.[6] They have also trained with German coach Ingo Steuer.
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–2012[7] | Tango de Roxanne (from Moulin Rouge!) |
Nostalgia by Yanni |
| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2009–2010 | Tango by Gotan Project |
Romeo and Juliet soundtrack by various composers |
| 2008–2009 | Shine On You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd |
Romeo and Juliet soundtrack by various composers |
| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2006–2007 | Malaguena by Ernesto Lecuona |
Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones |
| Event | 2011–12 |
|---|---|
| French Championships | 2nd |
| Ondrej Nepela Memorial | 5th |
| Coupe de Nice | 5th |
| Event | 2008–09 | 2009–10 |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games | 14th | |
| World Championships | 12th | 12th |
| European Championships | 10th | 7th |
| French Championships | WD | 1st |
| French Masters | 2nd | |
| Trophée Eric Bompard | 7th | 8th |
| Cup of China | 8th | |
| Nebelhorn Trophy | 6th | |
| WD = Withdrew | ||
(for Great Britain)
| Event | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Junior Championships | 27th | ||
| British Championships | 1st | 2nd | |
| Coupe de Nice | 3rd | ||
| Junior Grand Prix, Netherlands | 8th |
(for the United States)
| Event | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Sectionals | 6th J. | ||
| South Atlantic Regionals | 8th N. | 4th J. | 5th J. |
| N = Novice level; J = Junior level | |||
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