- Awards And Honors:
- Winter Olympic Games
- Notable Family Members:
- spouse David Pelletier
Jamie Salé
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Who is Jamie Salé?
Jamie Salé, born on April 21, 1977, is a Canadian pairs figure skater. With her partner David Pelletier, she was awarded a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City after a judging scandal, sharing the win with Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia.
Salé began skating at age three and, partnered with Jason Turner, competed in the 1994 Olympics, finishing 12th. She and Pelletier teamed up in 1998, achieving success quickly, winning bronze medals in Grand Prix events and placing second in the 1999 Canadian championships. In 2000, they won several gold medals, including the Canadian championship, and in 2001, they won gold at all their events, including the world championships.
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What sport did Jamie Salé compete in?
Jamie Salé is a Canadian pairs figure skater. With her partner David Pelletier, she won a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Salé began skating at age three, and by age seven, she focused solely on skating, later teaming with Jason Turner. In 1998, she paired up with Pelletier, achieving success quickly by winning bronze medals in Grand Prix events during their first season. They secured gold at the Canadian championship in 2000 and at all their events in 2001, including the world championships.
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Who was Jamie SalĂ©âs skating partner?
Jamie Salé had two prominent skating partners during her career:
- Jason Turner Salé competed with Turner in the 1994 Olympics, finishing 12th. They also skated in the world championships that year, where they finished 16th.
- David Pelletier Salé and Pelletier paired up in 1998 and found success almost immediately. They were awarded a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics and married in 2005, but later divorced in 2010.
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What major accomplishment did Jamie Salé achieve at the 2002 Winter Olympics?
Jamie Salé, with her pairs partner David Pelletier, achieved a major accomplishment at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah: they were awarded a gold medal in pairs figure skating. This award came after a judging scandal and they shared the gold with the Russian pair Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze. A judge admitted to being coerced into voting for the Russian pair, but later she recanted her story. The resulting uproar from the public and the IOC pressured the International Skating Federation to award a second pair of gold medals to the Canadian team.
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Why was the 2002 Olympic pairs skating event involving Jamie Salé important in figure skating history?
The 2002 Olympic pairs skating event, involving Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, is a significant moment in figure skating history due to a judging scandal. Despite a compelling performance by the Canadian pair, lower presentation scores led to a silver medal, sparking public and IOC outrage. Allegations surfaced that a French judge was coerced to vote for the Russian pair in exchange for a guaranteed gold in ice dancing. The International Skating Federation investigated and ultimately awarded a second set of gold medals to Salé and Pelletier. This event highlighted the subjectivity of judging and led to reforms in the scoring system.
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How did Jamie Salé continue to influence figure skating after her competitive career?
After retiring from amateur skating in late April 2002, Jamie Salé and her skating partner, David Pelletier, transitioned to professional skating. They joined Stars on Ice, a touring figure-skating show, where they continued to perform. Salé and Pelletier stopped skating professionally in 2012.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Jamie Salé (born April 21, 1977, Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian pairs figure skater who, with her doubles partner David Pelletier, was awarded a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, after a judging scandal. They shared the gold with Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia.
(Read Scott Hamiltonâs Britannica entry on figure skating.)
Salé grew up north of Calgary in Red Deer. She began skating when she was three years old, began training in both skating and gymnastics at age five, and by age seven had chosen to concentrate on skating. Teamed with Jason Turner, she competed in the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, finishing in 12th place. Later that year the pair skated in the world championships, where they finished 16th. They ended their partnership that summer, and Salé embarked on a singles career. She and Pelletier first considered working together in 1996, but it was not until 1998 that they paired up.
SalĂ© and Pelletier found success almost immediately, winning bronze medals in Grand Prix events their first season together and placing second in 1999âs Canadian championships. In 2000 they won a number of gold medals, including the Canadian championship, and in 2001 they took gold at all their events, including the world championships.
(Read Scott Hamiltonâs Britannica essay on "Training for Olympic Gold.")
At the 2002 Games, Salé and Pelletier skated a technically and emotionally compelling and nearly flawless long-program routine that seemed to secure them the gold medal. When the scores were posted, however, their marks for presentation were lower than those of Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze, despite errors by the Russians. Moreover, five of the nine judges had awarded first-place ordinals to the Russians, so the Canadians received a silver medal. The result outraged many, and the French judge, Marie-Reine Le Gougne, claimed that she had been pressured to vote for the Russians by the president of the French skating federation, Didier Gailhaguet, in a vote-swapping arrangement designed to guarantee a gold medal for the French ice dancers. Le Gougne later recanted her story. After five days of investigation and speculation, the decision was made to declare a tie, and Salé and Pelletier were awarded a second set of gold medals in a ceremony on February 17, 2002.
The flurry of events following the 2002 Olympics kept Salé and Pelletier from participating in the world championships the following month, and in late April they announced that they were retiring from amateur skating and turning professional. They subsequently performed with Stars on Ice, a touring figure-skating show. Salé and Pelletier married in 2005 but divorced in 2010. Two years later they stopped skating professionally.
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