Fabian Bourzat (born 19 December 1980) is a French retired
ice dancer
Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. Ac ...
. With partner
Nathalie Péchalat
Nathalie Péchalat (born 22 December 1983) is a French retired ice dancer and skating official, who served as the president of the Fédération française des sports de glace from 2020 to 2022.
During her competitive career with partner Fabi ...
, he is a two-time
World
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
bronze medalist (
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
), a two-time
European champion (
2011–
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
), and a five-time
French national champion (2009, 2011-2014). They have won five medals at the
Grand Prix Final
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (formerly Champions Series Final), often shortened to ''Grand Prix Final'' and abbreviated as ''GPF'', is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies ...
(
2009,
2010,
2011,
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
,
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
) and thirteen other
Grand Prix medals, including three golds at
Cup of China
The Cup of China was one of the series of six senior-level, international figure skating competitions held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The Cup of China joined the series in 2003, and was cancelled in 2022 as China enforces s ...
and two at
Trophée Eric Bompard
The Grand Prix de France is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It was previously known as the Grand Prix International de Paris (1987–1993), Trophée de France ...
.
Personal life
Fabian Bourzat was born 19 December 1980 in
Nantes, France.
[ He has two older brothers. As a child, he traveled extensively with his family due to his father's work, returning to France when he was seven.][ Bourzat studied ]osteopathy
Osteopathy () is a type of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body's muscle tissue and bones. Practitioners of osteopathy are referred to as osteopaths.
Osteopathic manipulation is the core set of techniques in ...
at the Higher Institute of Osteopathy of Lyon.[
]
Early years in skating
Bourzat began skating at the age of six or seven, from the start in ice dancing.[ Dominique Kernersson coached him in his early years.][ His early partners included ]Caroline Truong
Caroline Truong (born 8 November 1980 in Croix, France) is a French former competitive ice dancer. With Sylvain Longchambon, she won two silver medals on the 1999–2000 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, bronze at the 2001 Ondrej Nepela Memorial, and ...
, Emeline Leroux and Albane Saillou.
Partnership with Péchalat
In 2000, Bourzat was partnered with Nathalie Péchalat
Nathalie Péchalat (born 22 December 1983) is a French retired ice dancer and skating official, who served as the president of the Fédération française des sports de glace from 2020 to 2022.
During her competitive career with partner Fabi ...
by then-coach Muriel Zazoui
Muriel Boucher-Zazoui is a French coach and choreographer, and retired competitive ice dancer. She competed with Yves Malatier, and together they are the 1977 and 1978 French national champions. They competed twice at the European Championships ...
.[ The two did not get along well at first but became friends over time.][ In a 2011 interview, Péchalat said they had different personalities but that he was the ideal skating partner for her: "He is very gifted. He works through feeling and inspiration. As soon as he feels a move, he can reproduce it and interpret it. He does not need to intellectualize." According to Bourzat, "Nathalie is always pulling the couple ahead and pushing us to work. She brings her extraordinary capacity to work. She always wants to do everything perfectly."][
Péchalat/Bourzat were coached by ]Muriel Boucher-Zazoui
Muriel Boucher-Zazoui is a French coach and choreographer, and retired competitive ice dancer. She competed with Yves Malatier, and together they are the 1977 and 1978 French national champions. They competed twice at the European Championships ...
and Romain Haguenauer from 2000 to mid-2008 in Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
, France. From 2000 to 2003, they also worked with Pasquale Camerlengo
Pasquale Camerlengo (born 14 April 1966) is an Italian former competitive ice dancer who is now a coach and choreographer. With Stefania Calegari, he won gold medals at Skate America, Skate Canada, and the International de Paris, and placed fift ...
.[ They skated as juniors for two years, winning two Junior Grand Prix medals.
]
2003–2006
Péchalat/Bourzat moved up to seniors at the beginning of the 2002–3 season. They won bronze medals at the 2003 and 2005 Winter Universiade. They made their Worlds debut in 2004, finishing 20th, and their Europeans debut in 2005, placing 12th. The duo competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second ...
, where they came in 18th.
2006–2008
In the 2006–07 season, Péchalat/Bourzat won their first senior Grand Prix medal, a bronze at the 2006 Skate America
The 2006 Skate America was the first event of six in the 2006–07 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut on October 26–29 ...
. Péchalat lost around eight weeks of training in the winter due to a broken hand.[ The two missed the 2007 European Championships but were able to compete at the 2007 World Championships, where they finished in 12th place.
In the 2007–08 season, Pechalat/Bourzat won silver at both ]Skate America
Skate America is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It is hosted by U.S. Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: men ...
and the Cup of Russia
The Rostelecom Cup (russian: Кубок Ростелекома), formerly the Cup of Russia (russian: Кубок России), is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating ser ...
, and qualified for their first Grand Prix Final, where they finished 6th. They were forced to miss the 2008 French National Championships after Bourzat underwent knee surgery for a torn meniscus,[ but returned to the ice in time for the 2008 Europeans, finishing 5th. They were 7th at the 2008 Worlds.
In July 2008, Péchalat/Bourzat moved to ]Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
to train under Alexander Zhulin, with whom they had spent a few weeks in 2007, and his assistant Oleg Volkov.[ They said the move was difficult at first due to not knowing the Russian language and Moscow being a very expensive city to live in, however, from a skating perspective they felt it was a good move.][
]
2008–2009 season
Péchalat/Bourzat's 2008–2009 Grand Prix events were Skate Canada
Skate Canada (Canadian French: ''Patinage Canada'', lit. "Skating Canada") is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, recognized by the International Skating Union and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It organizes the annual ...
and the NHK Trophy
The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Organized by the Japanese Skating Federation, it began in 1979 and was added to the Grand Prix series in 19 ...
. They made some changes to their programs following their 3rd-place finish at Skate Canada,[ and finished a close second at the NHK Trophy, winning both the original dance and the free dance. They did not qualify for the 2008–2009 Grand Prix Final. In December 2008, Pechalat/Bourzat won their first national title. At the 2009 Europeans, they were second in the free dance and fourth overall, missing out on a medal by less than half a point. They finished 5th at 2009 Worlds.
]
2009–2010 season
For the 2009–10 season, Péchalat/Bourzat were assigned to the Trophee Eric Bompard and Skate Canada
Skate Canada (Canadian French: ''Patinage Canada'', lit. "Skating Canada") is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, recognized by the International Skating Union and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It organizes the annual ...
as their Grand Prix events. They finished in second place, behind Canadians Tessa Virtue
Tessa Jane McCormick Virtue (born May 17, 1989) is a Canadian retired ice dancer. With ice dance partner Scott Moir, she is the 2010 and 2018 Olympic champion, the 2014 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World champion (2010, 2012, 2017) ...
/ Scott Moir, in both events. These results qualified them for their second Grand Prix Final. Prior to the final, Bourzat suffered an ankle injury, but they were able to skate well enough to earn their first GPF medal, a bronze.[ Following a second consecutive 4th-place finish at Europeans and a 7th place at the ]Vancouver Olympics
)''
, nations = 82
, athletes = 2,626
, events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening = February 12, 2010
, closing = February 28, 2010
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...
, Pechalat/Bourzat elected to return to their Circus free dance from the 2008–9 season. They then finished 4th at 2010 Worlds with new personal best scores in the compulsory dance, the free dance, and overall. They won the small bronze medal for the free dance.[
]
2010–2011 season
Péchalat/Bourzat began the 2010–11 season with wins at the Nebelhorn Trophy
The Nebelhorn Trophy is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. It became part of the ISU Challenger Series in the 2014–15 season.
The competit ...
and the Finlandia Trophy
The Finlandia Trophy is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Since 1995, it is held annually in Finland in Greater Helsinki region, including Helsinki, Vantaa, and Espoo. It became part of the ISU Challenger Series in the 2014 ...
; the former was their first international gold medal at any level. They initially used Amélie
''Amélie'' (also known as ''Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain''; ; en, The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain, italic=yes) is a 2001 French-language romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume La ...
for their short dance
The short dance (SD) was the first segment of an ice dancing competition from the 2010–2011 to the 2017–2018 seasons. It was approved in June 2010 by the International Skating Union (ISU). It merged the original dance (OD) and compulsory d ...
but replaced it with Doctor Zhivago
''Doctor Zhivago'' is the title of a novel by Boris Pasternak and its various adaptations.
Description
The story, in all of its forms, describes the life of the fictional Russian physician and poet Yuri Zhivago
Yuri Andreievich Zhivago is the ...
prior to the 2010 Cup of China. Their programs scored well and they won their first Grand Prix by a large margin. They won their second Grand Prix title at 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard. They also set new personal best scores of 65.48 in the short dance and 96.34 in the free dance. Their results qualified them for the Grand Prix Final
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (formerly Champions Series Final), often shortened to ''Grand Prix Final'' and abbreviated as ''GPF'', is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies ...
, where they won the silver medal. Their went on to French nationals, and won their second national title. At the 2011 European Championships they placed first in both the short dance and the free dance to win the gold medal,[ setting new personal bests in both segments of the competition. It was their first medal at an ISU Championship. They produced France's fifth ice dancing European title.][
In mid-February 2011, Péchalat/Bourzat performed in galas in ]North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
along with other international skaters. Bourzat said, "Traveling there was not a political act at all. We came as open-minded people, who wanted to discover and exchange."[
At the 2011 Worlds, Péchalat/Bourzat set a new personal best in the short dance and were in bronze medal position going into the free dance.][ They dropped to fourth overall after Bourzat tripped and both fell during a step sequence.][ Following the event, reports surfaced that Péchalat / Bourzat would move to ]Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
to train with Anjelika Krylova
Anjelika Alexeyevna Krylova (russian: Анжелика Алексеевна Крылова; born 4 July 1973) is a Russian retired Ice dancing, ice dancer. With partner Oleg Ovsyannikov, she is the 1998 Figure skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics, ...
and Pasquale Camerlengo
Pasquale Camerlengo (born 14 April 1966) is an Italian former competitive ice dancer who is now a coach and choreographer. With Stefania Calegari, he won gold medals at Skate America, Skate Canada, and the International de Paris, and placed fift ...
.[
]
2011–2012 season
In May 2011, Péchalat/Bourzat confirmed their move to the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a small city (5.04 sq. miles) in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Metro Detroit and is approximately northwest of Downtown Detroit. Except a small southern border with the city of Bir ...
for the 2011–2012 season.[ They said that Camerlengo was the only coach they considered, based on their past experience of working with him during their time as juniors at Lyon,][ as well as wanting to continue the technique they learned under Zhulin: " rylovais exactly in Zhulin's footsteps as she perpetuates the basics and technique he taught us."][ The French dancers remained on good terms with Zhulin and Volkov.][ In Michigan, they trained three hours a day on the ice and then did off-ice training.][ They lived close to the rink.][ They also spent time during the summer in ]Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
to work with choreographer Kader Belmoktar on their Egypt-themed free dance.[
Péchalat/Bourzat took up the new option of competing at three Grand Prix events and were assigned to ]2011 Skate America
The 2011 Skate America was the first event of six in the 2011–12 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California on October 21 ...
, 2011 Skate Canada, and 2011 Trophee Eric Bompard
Eleven or 11 may refer to:
*11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12
* one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11
Literature
* ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn
*''E ...
.[ Although Bourzat was ill with bronchitis, they were able to win the silver medal at Skate America.][ They withdrew from Skate Canada due to Bourzat's bronchitis.][ After winning the silver medal at the Trophee Eric Bompard, they qualified for their fourth Grand Prix Final. They set a new personal best in the free dance to win the bronze medal at the Final. Their next competition was the ]French Championships
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
, where they won their third national title.
At the 2012 European Championships, Péchalat/Bourzat were second after the short dance, but rallied in the free dance to win their second consecutive European title.[ Péchalat sustained a broken nose in training on 13 March.][ She said: "We just made a mistake during our twizzles, and I got knocked out."][ She began wearing a mask but decided to delay an operation until after the 2012 World Championships.][ On March 25, Péchalat/Bourzat confirmed they would compete at the event and said surgery would not be necessary.][ At the World Championships, they recorded a season's best score in the short dance][ and a personal best score in the free dance on their way to winning the bronze, their first World medal.
]
2012–2013 season
Péchalat/Bourzat won gold at both of their events, the 2012 Cup of China and 2012 Trophee Eric Bompard
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, and qualified for their fourth Grand Prix Final
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (formerly Champions Series Final), often shortened to ''Grand Prix Final'' and abbreviated as ''GPF'', is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies ...
, where they won bronze. On 9 January 2013, Bourzat sustained a partial tear of the adductor muscle of his right leg, resulting in the team's withdrawal from the 2013 European Championships.[ The duo decided to compete at the 2013 World Championships, motivated in part by the desire to obtain two spots for French ice dancers at the 2014 Olympics.][ They finished 6th at the event.
On 20 May 2013, at the French skating federation's suggestion, Péchalat/Bourzat announced a coaching change to ]Igor Shpilband
Igor Yuryevich Shpilband (russian: Игорь Юрьевич Шпильбанд, born July 14, 1964) is an American ice dancing coach and former competitor for the Soviet Union. He is the 1983 World Junior champion with former partner Tatiana G ...
in Novi, Michigan.[
]
2013–2014 season
Péchalat/Bourzat won gold at the 2013 Cup of China ahead of Bobrova/ Soloviev. They were bronze medalists at the 2013 Trophée Eric Bompard behind Virtue
Virtue ( la, virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standards ...
/ Moir and Ilinykh/ Katsalapov. At the Grand Prix Final
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (formerly Champions Series Final), often shortened to ''Grand Prix Final'' and abbreviated as ''GPF'', is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies ...
in Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...
, Japan, the French won the bronze medal, their fifth medal at the event, and then ended 2013 with their fifth national title. They withdrew from the 2014 European Championships to focus on the Olympics.[
Péchalat/Bourzat placed fourth at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.][ Although they initially planned to retire right after the Olympics, they ultimately decided to end their competitive career at the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan.][ Ranked third in the short dance and second in the free dance, Péchalat/Bourzat ended the competition in third overall, 0.06 of a point behind Italy's Anna Cappellini / ]Luca Lanotte
Luca Lanotte (born 30 July 1985) is an Italian former ice dancer. With partner Anna Cappellini, he is the 2014 World champion, the 2014 European champion, the 2015 Cup of China champion and a thirteen-time medalist on the Grand Prix series, an ...
and 0.04 behind Canada's Kaitlyn Weaver
Kaitlyn Elizabeth Weaver (born April 12, 1989) is an American-Canadian ice dancer. With partner Andrew Poje, she is a three-time World medalist (2014 silver, 2015 and 2018 bronze), a two-time Four Continents champion (2010, 2015), a two-time Gra ...
/ Andrew Poje
Andrew Poje (born February 25, 1987) is a Canadian ice dancer. With partner Kaitlyn Weaver, he is a three-time World medalist (2014 silver, 2015 and 2018 bronze), a two-time Four Continents champion (2010, 2015), a two-time Grand Prix Final cha ...
. They came away with their second World bronze medal. They then retired from competition but said they would continue performing together in shows for one or two years.[ Bourzat also intended to pursue coaching in collaboration with Shpilband.Cappellini, Lanotte win dance by razor-thin margin]
/ref>
Programs
(with Pechalat)
Competitive highlights
(with Pechalat)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourzat, Fabian
French male ice dancers
1980 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Nantes
French expatriate sportspeople in Russia
Olympic figure skaters of France
Figure skaters at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Figure skaters at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Figure skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics
World Figure Skating Championships medalists
European Figure Skating Championships medalists
Season's world number one figure skaters
Universiade medalists in figure skating
Universiade bronze medalists for France
Medalists at the 2003 Winter Universiade
Competitors at the 2005 Winter Universiade