Stéphane Lambiel was born on April 2nd, 1985 in Martigny, Switzerland. His mother Fernanda originally comes from Lisbon, Portugal, and his father Jacques is a native of Isérables, a small mountain village in the Swiss Alps. He has an older sister, Silvia, and a younger brother, Christophe. Lambiel spent his childhood in the family home in Saxon. At the age of 7, having watched his sister skate, he became so fascinated by the art that he spent every evening watching skating videos and practicing jumps in the garage. A couple of years later he met Peter Grütter, who became and has remained his coach ever since, and Salomé Brunner, his long-time choreographer. The next few years were made up of many early mornings and long drives to Geneva for Stéphane and his mother. Meanwhile, he went to elementary school like any other child.

In 1997, when the World Figure Skating Championships were being held in Lausanne, Stéphane was officially invited to perform an exhibition where he impressed with his natural abilities, not only as an entertainer, but also as a promising competitor. At the time he was Swiss novice men’s champion. He went on to win all the national championships he attended, earning himself the senior title eight times in a row. Whilst he started entering international competitions, Stéphane was also pursuing his studies at the college of St-Maurice, where he received his “maturité” (end of secondary school diploma) in biology and chemistry after five years of juggling his education and his skating.

Lambiel’s ascent as an international athlete took off at the 2002 European Figure Skating Championships where he placed 4th and was thus able to take part in the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Over the following years, in spite of knee injuries, he developed his unique style and technical skills, thereby improving his competitive results. Motivated by his passion for the sport and the support of a dedicated team, Stéphane achieved his first World Champion title in Moscow in 2005. He then won the Silver Medal at the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, an accomplishment that he had set his sights on since childhood. A mere month later, he confirmed his supremacy by winning the World Championships for a second time. In 2007 he questioned his future as a figure skater, missing the European Championships, only to come back with a breathtaking flamenco programme which earned him a Bronze Medal at the Tokyo World Championships.

The next season, Stéphane won the ISU Grand Prix Final for the second time in his career. He later won the Silver medal at the European Championships in Zagreb and placed fifth at the World Championships in Gothenburg. During the summer, he moved to Wayne, New Jersey, to work with Viktor Petrenko and Galina Zmievskaya. However, a lasting injury which he sustained during the World Championships to the adductor muscle of his left leg prevented him from training sufficiently and consequently he announced his retirement from competitive figure skating in October 2008.

After a break period during which Stéphane was able to concentrate on his physical health, in July 2009 he announced his desire of participating in the Vancouver Winter Olympics. He obtained his qualification in September by winning the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf. He went on to earn a ninth Swiss Champion title and the Silver medal at the 2010 European Championships in Tallinn. In good shape and full of dreams, Stéphane took off to compete in the Olympic Games for the third time in his life. Additionally, he had the great honor of carrying the national flag during the opening ceremony. Although he fought admirably until the very end of the competition, the Swiss champion finished fourth, just off the podium he had set to re-conquer.

Despite the many challenges, Stéphane and his family have never regretted the sacrifices involved in achieving international success. In March 2010, Stéphane decided to retire from the competitive world. Before even turning 25, the young man with an already remarkable career decided to pursue his passion in the world of shows and through the creation of choreographies for young talents. He since takes part in numerous exhibitions in Switzerland and throughout the world, and enjoys developing his artistic aspirations and meeting his public more than ever.