Elizabeth Punsalan

Elizabeth Punsalan
Punsalan and Swallow in 2002.
Personal information
Alternative names	Elizabeth Swallow
Country represented	United States
Born	(1971-01-09) January 9, 1971 (age 46) Syracuse, New York
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Former partner	Jerod Swallow Christopher Rettstatt
Former coach	Igor Shpilband Sandy Hess
Former choreographer	Igor Shpilband
Skating club	Detroit Skating Club
Former skating club	Broadmoor Skating Club
Retired	1998

Elizabeth Punsalan or Swallow (January 9, 1971) is an American ice dancer. With her partner and husband Jerod Swallow, she is a five-time U.S. national champion, two-time Skate America champion, and competed twice in the Winter Olympics.

Elizabeth Punsalan was born January 9, 1971 in Syracuse, New York. Her father, Ernesto, moved from the Philippines to the United States as a medical student and became a surgeon. She married Jerod Swallow in September 1993. Her younger brother, Ricky, was charged in the death of their father, fatally stabbed on February 4, 1994, but was found mentally unfit to stand trial.

Early in her career, Punsalan competed with Christopher Rettstatt. They placed 8th at the 1989 U.S. Championships.

Punsalan began skating with Swallow in mid-1989. They were initially coached by Sandy Hess in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They placed 7th at 1989 Skate America and 5th at the 1990 U.S. Championships. The following season, they won their first U.S. national title. They were one of the favorites for the 1992 Olympic team but at the 1992 U.S. Championships, Swallow fell during the free dance and they finished in third. Swallow was ready to leave competition for show skating but she persuaded him to continue.

In 1992, Punsalan/Swallow began working with Igor Shpilband for choreography in Detroit. By the 1993–94 season, he had become their head coach. The couple developed a rivalry with Renee Roca / Gorsha Sur, who had earlier choreographed a program for them and trained alongside them. The U.S. had a single berth to the ice dancing event at the 1994 Winter Olympics. Punsalan and Swallow were involved in a letter-writing campaign to Congress to prevent Sur from receiving expedited citizenship, which would allow him to compete at the 1994 Olympics. At the U.S. Championships in January 1994, Punsalan/Swallow placed first in the original dance, ahead of their injured rivals in second. Roca/Sur withdrew before the free dance and Punsalan/Swallow went on to win their second national title and were named to the Olympic team. They competed at the 1994 Olympics only two weeks after her father's death, finishing 15th.