Paris (AFP)

Skaters Vanessa James and Morgan Ciprès, who climbed to the top in a few months with a European title in pairs on accusations of sending obscene photos to a minor targeting Ciprès, announced the end of their career on Tuesday.

"After a sabbatical year, for personal and sporting reasons, the couple finally decided to hang up the skates", writes the French Federation of Ice Sports (FFSG) which confirmed the news in a press release.

Ciprès (29) and James (33) have not skated in competition since the end of winter 2019.

The duo initially wanted to breathe in the 2019/2020 season to extend their career until 2022. Then Ciprès was caught last December by revelations in the American press, according to which he was targeted by an administrative investigation in the United States for sending obscene photos to a thirteen-year-old skater in late 2017.

According to the American daily USA Today, their coaches John Zimmerman and Silvia Fontana, with whom Ciprès and James have worked in Florida since 2016, are also under investigation for having pressured the teenager to keep the silence.

Appeared before the disciplinary commission of the FFSG at the beginning of July in this case, Ciprès was released, on the ground in particular that he "was not brought (to his) knowledge (...) neither complaint of the alleged victim nor element of such as to establish the existence of criminal proceedings "and that" there is no objective element (photographs, messages, letter, etc.) in the file capable of establishing proof of the alleged offense ".

The FFSG had indicated in the wake that it would not appeal this decision.

- "We made history" -

Contacted by AFP, Morgan Ciprès did not wish to indicate whether his sports retirement was linked to the accusations affecting him.

"I take from skating a huge experience, a huge satisfaction from our success with Vanessa (James). We have marked the history of French skating, you have to know how to be proud of what you have accomplished," he said. he however explained.

On the sports field, the two skaters, partners since 2010, indeed reached the peaks of their discipline during the 2018/2019 season, finally their last winter, with a victory in the Grand Prix final in December and the European title in couples the following month, a first for a French duo since 1932.

After having long been subscribers to places of honor, they decided in mid-2016 to go to train under the leadership of Zimmerman (world bronze medalist in pairs in 2002) and Fontana in Florida.

Six months later, they were on their first international podium with a European bronze medal in Ostrava (Czech Republic) in January 2017 before taking bronze the following year at the post-Olympic Worlds-2018 in Milan (Italy).

Together, they have participated twice in the Olympic Games (10th in 2014, 5th in 2018).

Vanessa James had already secured a 14th place at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 with Yannick Bonheur.

Since they had chosen to spare themselves last season, James and Ciprès no longer lived on the same continent.

She, who remained in America, notably participated in a Canadian reality TV show featuring skaters and hockey players at the end of 2019. He, back in Europe, occupied his time as coach of other couples in Paris in particular.

They will therefore not go until 2022, where they hoped to shine at the Winter Olympics in Beijing and at the Worlds in France, in Montpellier.

© 2020 AFP