Alain Calmat

Alain Calmat
Alain Calmat 1963 in East Berlin
Personal information
Country represented	France
Born	31 August 1940 (1940-08-31)
Former coach	Jacqueline Vaudecrane
Retired	1965
Medal record Competitor for France Men's Figure skating Olympic Games Silver 1964 Innsbruck Men's singles World Championships Gold 1965 Colorado Springs Men's singles Silver 1964 Dortmund Men's singles Silver 1963 Cortina d'Ampezzo Men's singles Bronze 1962 Prague Men's singles Bronze 1964 Vancouver Men's singles European Championships Silver 1965 Moscow Men's singles Gold 1964 Grenoble Men's singles Gold 1963 Budapest Men's singles Gold 1962 Geneva Men's singles Silver 1961 Berlin Men's singles Bronze 1958 Bratislava Men's singles

Olympic medal record
Figure skating
Competitor for France
Silver	1964 Innsbruck	Men's singles

Alain Calmat (born 31 August 1940, in Paris) is a French former competitive figure skater, surgeon, and politician. He is the 1964 Olympic silver medalist, the 1965 World Champion, the 1962–1964 European Champion, and the 1958 & 1962–1965 French national champion.

Career

Calmat started skating at the age of nine. He won the silver medal at the French Figure Skating Championships in 1954 and would go on to win 12 medals at nationals before retiring: seven silver and five gold. He placed 9th at the 1956 Winter Olympics and won the bronze medal at the European Figure Skating Championships in 1958. At the 1960 Winter Olympics, he moved up to sixth place and won the bronze medal at the World Figure Skating Championships.

The following year, Calmat won the silver medal at the European Figure Skating Championships. He went on to win it three years consecutively between 1962 and 1964. During those years, Calmat placed third once and second twice at Worlds.

At the 1964 Winter Olympics, Calmat won the silver medal and went on to win his second consecutive silver medal at Worlds. He stayed in one more season and retired as the 1965 World Champion.

At the 1968 Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France, Calmat was selected to carry the torch and light the Olympic flame.

Competitive highlights

Event	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965
Olympic Games			9th				6th				2nd
World Championships	11th	9th	7th	9th	5th	7th	3rd	*	3rd	2nd	2nd	1st
European Championships	5th	5th	4th	4th	3rd	4th	4th	2nd	1st	1st	1st	2nd
French Championships	2nd	2nd	2nd	2nd	1st	2nd	2nd	2nd	1st	1st	1st	1st

* Championships cancelled due to Sabena Flight 548 crash.

After skating

Calmat later studied medicine, and became a surgeon.

A socialist, he started in a political career. He was minister of Youth Affairs and Sports between 1984 and 1986 when Laurent Fabius was prime minister. He was elected deputy of the département of Cher from 1986 until 1993. In 1995, he became the mayor of Livry-Gargan. In 1997 he became a deputy in the French National Assembly.

He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.

See also

• List of Olympic medalists in figure skating
• Politics of France
• List of select Jewish figure skaters

References

• ISU Worlds Results: MenPDF (9.95 KB)
• ISU European Results: MenPDF (9.90 KB)
• French Nationals Results (French)

Olympic Games
Preceded by Josef Rieder	Final Winter Olympic Torchbearer Grenoble 1968	Succeeded by Hideo Takada