Keywords Born in 1974 Skaters

Their gold medal performance at Salt Lake in 2002 was somewhat bittersweet. Dubbed "Skategate," the controversy surrounding their loss to the Russian pairs team, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, made headlines worldwide. In the days that followed, media exposure of a possible judging scandal in the pairs event raised Salé and Pelletier to superstar status and garnered them worldwide support. Four days after the pairs competition, the International Skating Union, pressured by the International Olympic Committee to act quickly, found the French judge, Marie-Reine le Gougne, guilty of fraudulent judging, an act that may have prevented Salé and Pelletier from winning the gold medal many felt they deserved. As a result, double gold medals were awarded to both pairs teams at a special ceremony held after the ice dancing competition. Shortly after being awarded their Olympic gold medals, Salé and Pelletier announced that because of the tumultuous events surrounding their Olympic performance they did not have the mental energy to prepare for another international event so quickly and would not defend their world title at Nagano, Japan, in March 2002. Nevertheless, they were praised for the grace with which they accepted the events following their performance and the sportsmanship they showed toward their fellow competitors, Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze.

Following retirement, the pair toured with Stars on Ice and continue to be active in the sport as professionals and commentators at international skating events, such as the 2006 Olympics at Torino. In 2005 they married and in 2007 had their first child. The following year they were inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame, and in 2009 they entered the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. Their appeal as a pair derives from their youth, attractiveness, the manner in which they match each other physically, and of course, the remarkable level of athleticism and skill that is demonstrated in their spectacular lifts and throws.

Salé and Pelletier
Jamie Salé and David Pelletier are one of Canada's most successful pairs teams, winning an Olympic gold medal at Salt Lake in 2002 (photo by Gerry Thomas).

Sale and Pelletier
On 11 Feb 2002 pairs figure skaters Jamie Salé and David Pelletier delivered a performance that would eventually win them a gold medal at the Salt Lake Olympics. It was Canada’s first-ever gold medal in the event (courtesy Canadian Press Images).

Author BARBARA SCHRODT