Jack & Jill Politics

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More present Black History from the Diaspora:

First Black pairs figure skating team includes a Canadian
By Jennifer Ditchburn
The Canadian Press
Monday, February 15, 2010 10:43 PM ET

VANCOUVER – Vanessa James says she had two big reasons to feel proud on the ice Monday: she was part of the first black figure skating pair in Olympic history, and she did it in the country of her birth.

Toronto-born James and partner Yannick Bonheur, skating for France, delighted the crowd at the Pacific Coliseum with an elegant and technically rich routine in their free skate. They are among the few black skaters who have climbed the ranks of international figure skating and the first to reach these heights as part of a pair.

“We’ve actually had a few people who had come from the U.S. to watch the Olympics and they had never seen us before, and they have children who are black figure skaters and now they want to be the best,” James said after their routine Monday.

“They see that it’s possible so I hope we do see more black skaters in figure skating, and then we’ll see more skaters.”

Bonheur said he was proud. The two were not expected to reach the podium, but skated cleanly in their second routine of the Games.

“We want to prove that blacks in figure skating can succeed. We hope that in the future we can win some medals, and bring a black touch to figure skating.”

Video after the jump.

2009 French Championships Short Program

2009 French Championships Free Skate

2010 European Championships