Few French skaters have managed to achieve world recognition and high results. All the more impressive are the successes of Vanessa James both in singles and pair skating. She and Morgana Sipre are called the best couple of the country in an excellent sport. The athlete became the champion of Great Britain, France and Europe, twice won the Challenger series tournament, was the bronze medalist of the world championship and the Winter Universiade.
Early in her career, Vanessa James represented the UK and the United States in single skating. However, she achieved the greatest success in a pair with Morgan Sipre. The twin sister of the athlete Melissa is also professionally engaged in figure skating. She represented Great Britain in ice dancing in 2010, finishing in 6th place.
Finding a destination
The biography of the future celebrity began in 1987. The baby was born in Ontario, Canada on September 27. The family with ten-year-old twin daughters moved to the United States a decade later. Vanessa and her sister Melissa decided to engage in figure skating seriously after seeing the 1998 Olympics. True, the sister's successes were less impressive.
Vanessa began her career in the spectacular sport as a loner. She represented at the start of her US career. However, all attempts to reach a higher level were unsuccessful. The transition to the international level was helped by the representation of the interests of the UK. The Bermuda father's lineage secured British citizenship and allowed him to play for the United Kingdom.
The skater's training took place in the States, where Vanessa lived at that time. The beginner athlete showed very impressive results. In 2006, she won the national championship, becoming the first African-American woman to win the gold in the national championship. In 2007, James showed the second result in the championship. She also represented Britain at the junior championship. The result was the 27th place.
The girl decided to try her hand at pair skating. She tried to start it with the UK skater Hamish Haman. However, the couple failed to achieve harmony. The duet didn't work out
She moved to France to represent that country in competitions. Yannick Boehner became her partner. The duo quickly met expectations. Athletes took the top step of the podium at the national championship in 2010. Participation in the Olympic Games in Vancouver became a new stage. This time they got the 14th place. But the guys became the first afrodouet to reach such a high level.
New Horizons
At the first ever team championship, the strongest French greenhouses were given the right to play for the country. The result was the penultimate place. Bonnick-James decided to part ways.
Vanessa has tried to create new duets with other skaters. However, no prospects could be expected from such replacements. Maximilian Koya became a new attempt. His ex-partner Adeline Kanak went to Yannick Boner. However, Vanessa failed to create a couple.
Working with a new partner in the future was a huge success. Morgan was fond of sports since childhood. He was especially good at exercises on the rink. The ethnic Frenchman was called a promising figure skater after his performance at the tournament as a single junior.
The young man decided to switch to pair skating, which he had dreamed of for a long time, in 2010. Around the same time, the duet of Vanessa and Yannick ceased to exist. A more experienced athlete was offered a pair of Sipre. Their duet was a success. The pair on the ice looked very impressive and harmonious.
The creation of the duo became known before the start of the 2010-2011 season. However, the athletes did not participate in it. During the year, the couple competed in several competitions. Their joint international debut was the Ondrej Nepela Memorial in 2011. They managed to climb to fifth place. For newbies, these achievements were very good. In 2012, James and Sipre won several medals and won the French championship.
Victories and Failures
In 2013, the duo went to the World Championships. The result of the demonstration performances was the fourth position. At the same time, the short program brought the pair to the top ten. Preparation in the 2014 Olympics became a new step. However, due to the injury received by Morgan, the guys had to skip several stages. Although the partner managed to recover quickly enough, the duo took 10th place in the individual competition.
The victory at the national championship was a success. After him, the couple was seriously preparing for the new Olympic season. In tournaments, they often ended up in the top three. The French couple did not manage to achieve impressive results at the 2018 Olympics.
The new season turned out to be much more successful. For the first time, the duo reached the Grand Prix finals. In Minsk, at the European Championship, he brilliantly skated a free program. She brought the pair to the top, and as a result, Sipre and James won the championship title.
The mentors of the French skaters who led the pair to success were Jeremy Barrett and John Zimmerman. They helped to achieve results infrequent for the French.
On and off the ice
The athlete is in no hurry to talk about her personal life. Like Sipre, she assures that she has no rights and no time for novels. Vanessa is completely absorbed in her career. For the development and even the beginning of a relationship, the more serious, she simply does not have time.
The information that appeared at the very beginning of skating about the romance that began between the athletes and the transition of friendly relations to a new level, James did not deny or confirm. There is no data on whether Vanessa is going to become someone's wife in the near future.
But she gladly uploads pictures on social networks, where not only the bright moments of joint performances are presented, but also the joint recreation of the duet.
Neither Vanessa nor Morgan mix sports with private life. Both are at the peak of their careers. They do not plan to stop creativity. Great technique and hard training help you achieve impressive results.
