Fabian Bourzat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fabian Bourzat
Péchalat and Bourzat at 2009 Skate Canada
Personal information
Country represented	France
Born	(1980-12-19) 19 December 1980 (age 44) Nantes, France
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 12 in)
Partner	Nathalie Péchalat
Former partner	Sonia Casagrande, Caroline Truong, Albane Sailloud
Former coach	Igor Shpilband, Anjelika Krylova, Pasquale Camerlengo, Alexander Zhulin, Oleg Volkov, Maxim Staviski, Muriel Zazoui, Romain Haguenauer, Dominique Kernersson
Former choreographer	Julien Cottereau, Laurie May Ayivigan, Kader Belmoktar, Pasquale Camerlengo, Ilia Constantin, Alexander Zhulin, Antonio Najarro, Mourad Merzouki
Former skating club	Les Francais Volants Paris-Bercy Castres SG
Former training locations	Novi, Michigan Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Moscow Lyon
Began skating	1988
Retired	2014
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	177.22 2014 Winter Olympics
Short dance:	72.78 2014 Winter Olympics
Free dance	107.17 2014 Worlds

Fabian Bourzat (born on December 19, 1980) is a French retired ice dancer. He is famous for his partnership with Nathalie Péchalat. Together, they won many important medals.

They earned two bronze medals at the World Figure Skating Championships in 2012 and 2014. They also became European champions twice, in 2011 and 2012. In France, they won the national championship five times. They also won five medals at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Plus, they earned thirteen other medals in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series, including three golds at Cup of China.

About Fabian Bourzat

Fabian Bourzat was born in Nantes, France. He has two older brothers. When he was a child, his family moved around a lot because of his dad's job. They came back to France when Fabian was seven years old.

Fabian studied osteopathy, which is a type of medicine focusing on muscles and bones. In 2023, he married Laurine Lecavalier, who is also a French skater.

His Early Skating Days

Fabian started skating when he was about six or seven years old. From the very beginning, he focused on ice dancing. Dominique Kernersson was his first coach. He had a few partners when he was young, including Caroline Truong and Albane Saillou.

Skating with Nathalie Péchalat

Péchalat and Bourzat at the 2009 Europeans

In 2000, Fabian was paired with Nathalie Péchalat. Their coach, Muriel Zazoui, put them together. At first, they didn't get along very well. But over time, they became good friends.

Nathalie once said that Fabian was a very talented skater. She felt he was the perfect partner for her. Fabian said that Nathalie always pushed them to work harder. She wanted everything to be perfect.

Péchalat and Bourzat trained with Muriel Boucher-Zazoui and Romain Haguenauer in Lyon, France, until 2008. They also worked with Pasquale Camerlengo for a few years. They competed as junior skaters for two years and won two Junior Grand Prix medals.

Moving Up to Seniors

Péchalat and Bourzat started competing as senior skaters in the 2002-2003 season. They won bronze medals at the Winter Universiade in 2003 and 2005.

They competed at the World Championships for the first time in 2004. They finished 20th. In 2005, they made their European Championships debut, placing 12th. They also competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where they finished 18th.

First Senior Medals

In the 2006-2007 season, they won their first senior Grand Prix medal. It was a bronze at the 2006 Skate America. Nathalie broke her hand that winter, so they missed some training. They couldn't go to the 2007 European Championships. But they were able to compete at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships, finishing 12th.

In the 2007-2008 season, they won silver medals at Skate America and the Cup of Russia. This helped them qualify for their first Grand Prix Final, where they placed 6th. Fabian had knee surgery, so they missed the French National Championships. But they recovered in time for the 2008 European Figure Skating Championships, finishing 5th. They were 7th at the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships.

In July 2008, Péchalat and Bourzat moved to Moscow to train with Alexander Zhulin. They found it hard at first because they didn't know Russian. But they felt it was a good move for their skating.

2008-2009 Season

Péchalat and Bourzat competed at 2008 Skate Canada and the 2008 NHK Trophy. They finished 3rd at Skate Canada. They then placed a close second at the NHK Trophy. They won their first French national title in December 2008.

At the 2009 European Figure Skating Championships, they were 4th overall. They just missed a medal. They finished 5th at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships.

2009-2010 Season

For the 2009-2010 season, they competed at the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard and 2009 Skate Canada. They finished second at both events. These results helped them qualify for their second Grand Prix Final. Fabian had an ankle injury before the final. But they still skated well and won their first Grand Prix Final medal, a bronze.

They finished 4th again at the 2010 European Figure Skating Championships. At the Vancouver Olympics, they placed 7th. They then finished 4th at the 2010 World Figure Skating Championships. They achieved new personal best scores there.

Becoming European Champions

Péchalat and Bourzat compete at the 2011 Europeans.

Péchalat and Bourzat started the 2010-2011 season with wins at the 2010 Nebelhorn Trophy and the 2010 Finlandia Trophy. The Nebelhorn Trophy was their first international gold medal ever. They won their first Grand Prix title at the 2010 Cup of China. They also won their second Grand Prix title at the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard.

They set new personal best scores in their short dance and free dance. They qualified for the 2010–2011 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, where they won the silver medal. They then won their second French national title.

At the 2011 European Figure Skating Championships, they won the gold medal. They placed first in both the short dance and the free dance. This was their first medal at an ISU Championship. They were the fifth French ice dancing team to win a European title.

At the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships, they were in bronze medal position after the short dance. But they dropped to fourth overall after Fabian fell during a step sequence. After this event, they decided to move to Michigan to train with new coaches.

Training in Michigan

Nathalie and Fabian at 2012 World Championships.

In May 2011, Péchalat and Bourzat moved to the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. They trained three hours a day on the ice. They also did off-ice training. They worked with choreographer Kader Belmoktar on their Egypt-themed free dance.

They competed at three Grand Prix events. Fabian was sick with bronchitis, but they still won silver at Skate America. They had to withdraw from Skate Canada due to Fabian's illness. They won silver at the Trophee Eric Bompard. This helped them qualify for their fourth Grand Prix Final. They won the bronze medal at the Final. They then won their third French national title.

At the 2012 European Figure Skating Championships, they won their second European title in a row. Nathalie broke her nose during training in March. She decided to delay surgery until after the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships. At the World Championships, they won the bronze medal. This was their first World medal.

2012-2013 Season

Bourzat at Bompard 2013.

Péchalat and Bourzat won gold at both of their Grand Prix events. These were the 2012 Cup of China and 2012 Trophee Eric Bompard. They qualified for their fourth Grand Prix Final, where they won bronze.

In January 2013, Fabian injured his right leg. This made them withdraw from the 2013 European Figure Skating Championships. They decided to compete at the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships. They wanted to help France get two spots for ice dancers at the 2014 Olympics. They finished 6th at the event.

In May 2013, Péchalat and Bourzat changed coaches again. They started training with Igor Shpilband in Novi, Michigan.

Final Season and Retirement

Péchalat and Bourzat won gold at the 2013 Cup of China. They won bronze at the 2013 Trophée Eric Bompard. At the 2013–14 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Japan, they won their fifth Grand Prix Final medal, a bronze. They ended 2013 by winning their fifth French national title. They withdrew from the 2014 European Figure Skating Championships to focus on the Olympics.

Péchalat and Bourzat placed fourth at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. They had planned to retire after the Olympics. But they decided to end their competitive career at the 2014 World Figure Skating Championships in Japan. They won their second World bronze medal there.

After that, they retired from competing. But they continued to perform together in skating shows for a few years. Fabian also planned to become a coach.

Competitive highlights

(with Pechalat)

Images for kids

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  Péchalat/Bourzat during the medal ceremony at the 2012 Worlds.

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  Péchalat/Bourzat after winning their first Grand Prix, the 2010 Cup of China.

• 

  Péchalat/Bourzat at the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard gala.

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  Péchalat/Bourzat with Brian Joubert and Florent Amodio at the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships

See also

In Spanish: Fabian Bourzat para niños