Patrick PERA

Patrick Pera competed at the 1968 and 1972 Winter Olympics, winning bronze medals in men’s singles both times. He was a seven-time French Champion, winning that title from 1966-72, after a third-place finish in 1965. At the World Championships, Pera was runner-up in 1971 and finished third in 1968 and 1969. He was second at the 1969 and 1970 European Championships, placing third in 1972. Pera was selected to carry the French flag at the Opening Ceremony of the 1972 Winter Olympics. In 1978 he married an American woman and settled in the United States. Pera had previously had a relationship for two years with future fashion designer Vera Wang, who at the time was a promising figure skater in the US.