Vanessa James and Yannick Bonheur skated their way into history in February 2010. They are the first black couple to compete in pairs figure skating at the Winter Olympics. The couple placed 14th in the competition at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, but was a crowd favorite. Canadian Vanessa James and French skater Yannick Bonheur met on an Internet site that helps competitive pairs skaters find skating partners. They didn't stay a team for long –– after the 2010 skating season, they continued their quest for gold with different skating partners. So you just might see them competing at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. James and Bonheur are not the first black skaters to compete at the Winter Olympics. African-American skater Debi Thomas won a bronze medal at the Calgary games in 1988. French skater Surya Bonaly competed in three Olympics in the 1990s but did not medal. Bonaly made history in a different way. She was the only figure skater, female or male, who could land a back flip on one foot.