Denise Biellmann
Encyclopedia
Denise Biellmann is a Swiss
professional figure skater. She is the 1981 European
and World Champion
. She won the Swiss Championships
three times.
. At age eleven, she won the Swiss junior figure skating championships. At 14, she competed at the 1977 European Championships
and placed second in the free skating portion of the competition.
At the age of 15, she was the first female skater to land the triple lutz
in competition, which she performed for the first time at the 1978 European Championships
. At the same event, she became the first woman to receive a 6.0 in technical merit, receiving the score from British judge Pauline Borrajo. She was 12th in figures, first in the free skate, and finished fourth overall.
At the 1980 Winter Olympics
, she won the free skating event and placed fourth overall.
The Biellmann spin was named after her, although she did not invent the spin but popularized it. It was present in skating at least since the 1965 European Championships
when Tamara Moskvina
performed it after being inspired by a gymnastics competition. It remains the only figure skating spin to be officially named after a person in ISU regulations. Nevertheless, by the end of her ISU career, the spin was causing her back pain.
Biellmann retired from amateur competition shortly after her win at the 1981 World Championships
.
She participated in Pro7 Season 1
, partnered with television presenter Pierre Geisensetter, and in Season 2, partnered with actor Patrick Bach
.
She participated in the Eurovision Dance Contest 2007
representing Switzerland with partner Sven Ninnemann.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
professional figure skater. She is the 1981 European
European Figure Skating Championships
The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion...
and World Champion
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
. She won the Swiss Championships
Swiss Figure Skating Championships
The Swiss Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Switzerland...
three times.
Amateur career
Denise Biellmann was born in ZurichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. At age eleven, she won the Swiss junior figure skating championships. At 14, she competed at the 1977 European Championships
1977 European Figure Skating Championships
The 1977 European Figure Skating Championships were the European Figure Skating Championships of the 1976-1977 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU Member Nations competed for the title of European Champion...
and placed second in the free skating portion of the competition.
At the age of 15, she was the first female skater to land the triple lutz
Lutz jump
The Lutz is a figure skating jump, named after Alois Lutz, an Austrian skater who performed it in 1913. It is a toepick-assisted jump with an entrance from a back outside edge and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot.- Lutz technique:...
in competition, which she performed for the first time at the 1978 European Championships
1978 European Figure Skating Championships
The 1978 European Figure Skating Championships were the European Figure Skating Championships of the 1977-1978 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU Member Nations competed for the title of European Champion...
. At the same event, she became the first woman to receive a 6.0 in technical merit, receiving the score from British judge Pauline Borrajo. She was 12th in figures, first in the free skate, and finished fourth overall.
At the 1980 Winter Olympics
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
, she won the free skating event and placed fourth overall.
The Biellmann spin was named after her, although she did not invent the spin but popularized it. It was present in skating at least since the 1965 European Championships
1965 European Figure Skating Championships
The 1965 European Figure Skating Championships were the European Figure Skating Championships of the 1964-1965 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU Member Nations competed for the title of European Champion...
when Tamara Moskvina
Tamara Moskvina
Tamara Nikolayevna Moskvina , née Bratus is a Russian pair skating coach and former competitive skater. In pair skating with partner Alexei Mishin, she was the 1969 World silver medalist and Soviet national champion. In ladies singles, she was a five-time Soviet national champion...
performed it after being inspired by a gymnastics competition. It remains the only figure skating spin to be officially named after a person in ISU regulations. Nevertheless, by the end of her ISU career, the spin was causing her back pain.
Biellmann retired from amateur competition shortly after her win at the 1981 World Championships
1981 World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion....
.
Professional career
Biellmann remains involved in the international figure skating community as a participant in both professional shows and competitions.She participated in Pro7 Season 1
Dancing on Ice around the world
-Argentina:In Argentina, the show was broadcast on Channel 13 as a segment inside the television program "Showmatch", hosted by Marcelo Tinelli. It started on August 9, 2007 featuring an all-female cast...
, partnered with television presenter Pierre Geisensetter, and in Season 2, partnered with actor Patrick Bach
Patrick Bach
Patrick Bach is a German actor and voice actor. His parents are Beate Molina and lawyer Horst Bach.He was discovered while playing a soccer game and got the title role in the miniseries Silas which is based on the books by Cecil Bødker.He is best known for his lead roles in the two miniseries...
.
She participated in the Eurovision Dance Contest 2007
Eurovision Dance Contest 2007
The Eurovision Dance Contest 2007 was the 1st Eurovision Dance Contest a dance entertainment co-production between the EBU and the BBC. The first ever pan-European dance competition was held on 1 September 2007 in London, United Kingdom with the participation of 16 countries...
representing Switzerland with partner Sven Ninnemann.
Competitive highlights
| Event | 1972-73 | 1973-74 | 1974-75 | 1975-76 | 1976-77 | 1977-78 | 1978-79 | 1979-80 | 1980-81 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating... |
4th | ||||||||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
15th | 10th | 5th | 5th | 6th | 1st | |||
| European Championships European Figure Skating Championships The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion... |
6th | 4th | 3rd | WD | 1st | ||||
| Swiss Championships Swiss Figure Skating Championships The Swiss Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Switzerland... |
5th J. | 1st J. | 11th | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| NHK Trophy NHK Trophy The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.... |
1st | ||||||||
| Richmond Trophy Richmond Trophy The Richmond Trophy was an international figure skating competition for ladies held annually from 1949 to 1980 at the Richmond ice rink near London. It was the only invitational international competition held on a regular basis in the post-war years... |
3rd |
- J = Junior level; WD = Withdrew