Isabelle Duchesnay Figure skater

Isabelle Duchesnay is an ice dancer who competed for both Canada and France. She and her brother Paul Duchesnay were successful ice dance partners in figure skating, winning a world championship in 1991 and an Olympic silver medal in 1992. Raised in Canada, the Duchesnays started skating at an early age as a couple in pairs. Their first major success came at the 1982 Canadian Nationals, where they placed second in the junior competition. After a serious accident where Isabelle hit her head, they switched to ice dancing. Over time, the Duchesnays' skating became more innovative and revolutionary with help from Olympic 1984 gold medalist Christopher Dean . After the Canadian Federation of Figure Skating criticized their skating, they decided to leave the Canadian team. In 1985, they began skating for their mother's homeland of France instead. The Duchesnays' 1988 Winter Olympics programs were considered unusual. Their free dance, a jungle-inspired dance set to drums, was not well received by judges. The pair placed 8th overall. Despite the judges' reactions, the Duchesnays continued skating in their unusual and innovative style. They placed third and second in the 1989 and 1990 World Championships, respectively. They won their only World title at the 1991 Worlds in Munich, Germany. The Duchesnays were favoured to win gold at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Facing stiff competition from the Russian pair of Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, they faltered and finished second. This would be the pair's last amateur competition. They competed professionally until Paul suffered a serious rollerblading accident in 1996. Isabelle Duchesnay married Christopher Dean, a fellow ice dancer, in 1991. They divorced in 1993. In 1996, the Duchesnays were nominated for a Gemini Award in Best Performance - Performing Arts Program or Series for their performance in "The Planets". http://theenvelope. latimes. com/extras/lostmind/year/1995/1995_1996gemini. htm http://www. bullfrogfilms. com/catalog/planet. html Duchesnay wrote a book, Notre passion (Sports pour tous), in 1992. http://www. amazon. com/dp/2221074084/