Paris (AFP)
Vanessa James, who skated in pairs with the French Morgan Ciprès until the announcement of their end of career last September, will return to competition for Canada next season, with Eric Radford, announces the Canadian Federation of skating Wednesday.
Radford (36), double world champion (2015 and 2016) and 2018 Olympic bronze medalist with Meagan Duhamel, comes out of his sports retirement in spring 2018.
James and Ciprès, crowned European champions in 2019 and world bronze medalists the previous winter, initially planned to skate until 2022, the year of the next Winter Olympics and the Worlds organized in Montpellier.
But their end of career, justified by "personal and sporting reasons", was precipitated by the implication at the end of 2019 of Ciprès in the sending of obscene photos to a young skater of thirteen years who frequented the same rink as him in Florida.
An arrest warrant for him was issued last December, according to lawyer for alleged victim Andrea Lewis.
James (33), who was born in Canada, was released by France, a sine qua non of her transfer, she told CBC.
"They know that this is an incredible opportunity for me, and that I have brought a lot to the (French) federation, she said. I think they are happy to see me continue, even if it is under a other flag. "
The ultimate "dream" of James and Radford, who started seriously training in March in Montreal, less than a year before the 2022 Olympics, and of which Guillaume Cizeron will participate in the choreography of one of the programs?
"Go to the Olympics and maybe get a medal there."
The challenge is big.
This will require obtaining one of the two Canadian pairs quotas at the national championships next winter.
"We have already seen comebacks, but never in an Olympic year and with a brand new partner, it has never been done," said James.
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