Alain Calmat (born 31 August 1940) is a French former competitive figure skater, surgeon, and politician. He is the 1964 Olympic silver medalist, the 1965 World champion, the 1962–1964 European champion, and the 1958 & 1962–1965 French national champion.
| Alain Calmat OLY[1] | |
|---|---|
 Alain Calmat at the 1964 World Championships | |
| Born | 31 August 1940 Paris, France |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country | France |
| Retired | 1965 |
Medal record | |
Career
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Calmat attended the Cours Hattemer, a private school.[2] He started skating at the age of nine.[citation needed] He had one of the longest figure skating careers in postwar skating, competing in every European, World, and Olympic competition for twelve years.[3] He won the silver medal at the French Figure Skating Championships in 1954 and would go on to win twelve medals at nationals before retiring: seven silver and five gold. He placed ninth at the 1956 Winter Olympics[3] and won the bronze medal at the 1958 European Championships. At the 1960 Winter Olympics, he moved up to sixth place[3] and won the bronze medal at the 1960 World Championships.
The following year, Calmat won the silver medal at the 1961 European Championships. He became European champion for three consecutive years from 1962 to 1964.[3] During that period, Calmat was awarded one bronze and two silver medals at Worlds.
At the 1964 Winter Olympics, Calmat won the silver medal and went on to win his second consecutive silver medal at Worlds. He stayed in one more season and retired as the 1965 World champion.[3]
Calmat carried the torch and lit the Olympic flame at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. He also served as a world judge.[4]
Competitive highlights
edit| International[5][6][7] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 |
| Olympics | 9th | 6th | 2nd | |||||||||
| Worlds | 11th | 9th | 7th | 9th | 5th | 7th | 3rd | * | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st |
| Europeans | 5th | 5th | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 4th | 4th | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd |
| Universiade | 1st | |||||||||||
| National[8] | ||||||||||||
| French | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| * Championships cancelled due to Sabena Flight 548 crash. | ||||||||||||
After skating
editThis section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (July 2007) |
Calmat later studied medicine, and became a surgeon.
A socialist, he started in a political career. He was minister of Youth Affairs and Sports between 1984 and 1986 when Laurent Fabius was prime minister. He was elected deputy of the département of Cher from 1986 until 1993. In 1995, he became the mayor of Livry-Gargan. In 1997 he became a deputy in the French National Assembly.
Calmat was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.[9]
See also
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References
edit- ^ Olympians: Olympians for Life – website of the WOA
- ^ "Quelques Anciens Celebres". Hattemar. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Hines, James R. (2011). Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-8108-6859-5.
- ^ Hines (2011), p. 52
- ^ "World Figure Skating Championships Results: Men" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 November 2012.
- ^ "European Figure Skating Championships Results: Men" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2013.
- ^ "Alain Calmat". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
- ^ "Titres Francais Messieurs" [French Nationals Results]. Francais Volants (in French). Archived from the original on 20 June 2008.
- ^ "Elected members: Alain Calmat". Jewishsports.net. Retrieved 7 January 2013.