Vanessa Gusmeroli

Vanessa Gusmeroli (born 19 September 1978) is a French former competitive figure skater and water skier. As a skater, she is the 1997 World bronze medalist and a three-time (2000–02) French national champion.

Personal life
Gusmeroli was born on 19 September 1978 in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France. She and French ice dancer Mathieu Jost are the parents of a daughter, born in 2009.

Skating career
Vanessa Gusmeroli began skating at age seven in Annecy. She competed in both skating and water skiing until the age of 14, when she was advised to commit to one sport and chose her skating career.

1995–96 season
Gusmeroli first drew international attention at the World Junior Championships in the fall of 1995, where she finished 5th overall. The French Figure Skating Federation sent her to the 1996 European Championships. She placed 6th in the short program, with a triple flip-double toe loop combination, but was 10th in the free skate, dropping her to 8th overall. At the 1996 Worlds in Canada, she finished in 14th place.

1996–97 season
In her second senior season, Gusmeroli returned to her "Circus" themed free skate and used the music from the motion picture, "The Mask" for her short program. She represented the International team at The Continents Cup and finished 4th in the ladies portion. She also placed 4th at Trophée Lalique in Paris and won her first international medal a week later at The Nations Cup and her first medal at The French National Championships, a silver, in December 1996. Gusmeroli placed 2nd in the short program at the 1997 European Championships, but dropped to sixth overall after a difficult free skate. She was also second in the short program at the 1997 World Championships in Lausanne and finished with the bronze medal after placing fourth in the free skate and third overall. It was her only podium finish at an ISU Championships.

1997–98 season
Gusmeroli experienced ups and downs during the 1997-98 season. She won the bronze medal at Trophée Lalique behind Laetitia Hubert and Tara Lipinski. With a theme of "Water, Earth, Wind and Fire" for her free skate, she won a spot on the Olympic team by finishing third at the French National Championships, but was only 11th at the European Championship. At the 1998 Winter Olympic Games, a mistake in the short program cost her a chance at a medal, but she recovered with a strong free skate to finish 6th overall. With the added pressure to defend her bronze medal at the World Championships, she faltered and finished in 16th place.

1998–99 season
Gusmeroli returned in better form in the 1998-99 season, once again winning the bronze medal at Trophée Lalique and silver at French Nationals. In her free skate, she portrayed a bank robber, an original theme that drew much attention. At the 1999 World Championships, Gusmeroli skated to a third-place finish in the short program, but an error on the triple flip in the free skate dropped her to 5th.

1999–2000 season
A foot injury forced Gusmeroli out of the 1999-2000 Grand Prix season. She made a coaching change, moving from Didier Lucine to Stanislav Leonovitch. Debuting a free skate to the Legends of the Fall soundtrack, Gusmeroli won her first French National Championship and finished 4th at the Japan Open in January 2000. At the European Championships in Vienna, Gusmeroli skated well in all three portions of the competition, concluding her free skate in tears. She finished in 4th place overall because of her placement in the qualifying round. At the 2000 World Championships in Nice, Gusmeroli skated poorly in the qualifying group and lost her chance at a medal but her short and free programs moved her up into 4th overall.

2000–01 season
Gusmeroli did not enjoy great success the next season. She debuted a new free skate to "Joan of Arc", but later changed back to "Legends of the Fall". She finished 9th at both the European and World Championships in 2001.

2001–02 season
In the fall of 2001, Gusmeroli won the Karl Schaefer Memorial in Vienna and placed 10th at Trophée Lalique. She captured her 3rd French title in December and went on to place 11th at Europeans. Facing tough competition at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, she skated a clean short program, but only placed 10th. In the free skate, she could only manage three triples and ended the competition in 16th place.

Post-competitive career
Gusmeroli is a technical specialist for the International Skating Union and served in the role during the ladies figure skating competition at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Since 2008 she has also coached figure skating in Geneva.

Water ski career
Gusmeroli won the junior European title in water skiing. She was awarded the silver medal at the 2003 European Water Ski Championships.

Competitive highlights
GP: Champions Series / Grand Prix