Denise Biellmann

Vocation

Notable

Swiss professional figure skater. She is the 1981 European and World Champion. She won the Swiss Championships three times. She won her first international championship, in Belgium, when she was aged just eight, and at 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 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. Biellmann remained involved in the international figure skating community as a participant in both professional shows and competitions. She participated in the Eurovision Dance Contest 2007 representing Switzerland with partner Sven Ninnemann. Link to Wikipedia biography