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 19 December 1980) is a French retired ice dancer. He is best known for his partnership with Nathalie Péchalat. Together, they achieved great success in the world of figure skating.

Fabian and Nathalie won two bronze medals at the World Figure Skating Championships in 2012 and 2014. They were also two-time European champions in 2011 and 2012. The pair won the French national title five times between 2009 and 2014. They also earned five medals at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

About Fabian Bourzat

Fabian Bourzat was born in Nantes, France, on December 19, 1980. He has two older brothers. When he was a child, his family moved around a lot because of his father's job. They returned to France when Fabian was seven years old. Fabian later studied osteopathy, which is a type of healthcare. In 2023, he married French skater Laurine Lecavalier.

Fabian's Early Skating Days

Fabian started skating when he was six or seven years old. From the very beginning, he focused on ice dancing. His first coach was Dominique Kernersson. 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 by their coach, Muriel Zazoui. At first, they didn't get along very well. But over time, they became good friends. Nathalie once said that Fabian was the perfect skating partner for her. She explained that he was very talented and could easily feel and perform moves. Fabian said that Nathalie always pushed them to work hard and wanted everything to be perfect.

From 2000 to 2008, Péchalat and Bourzat were coached by Muriel Boucher-Zazoui and Romain Haguenauer in Lyon, France. 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 Senior Level

Péchalat and Bourzat started competing at the senior level in the 2002–2003 season. They won bronze medals at the Winter Universiade in 2003 and 2005. They competed at their first World Championships in 2004 and their first European Championships in 2005. In 2006, they competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, finishing 18th.

First Senior Medals

In the 2006–2007 season, Péchalat and Bourzat won their first senior Grand Prix medal. It was a bronze at the 2006 Skate America. Nathalie had a broken hand that winter, so they missed the 2007 European Championships. However, they were able to compete at the 2007 World Championships, where they placed 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 finished 6th. Fabian had knee surgery, so they missed the 2008 French National Championships. But they returned for the 2008 Europeans, finishing 5th, and then 7th at the 2008 Worlds.

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.

Winning National Titles

In the 2008–2009 season, Péchalat and Bourzat competed at Skate Canada and the NHK Trophy. They finished 3rd at Skate Canada and a close 2nd at the NHK Trophy. They did not qualify for the Grand Prix Final that year. In December 2008, they won their first French national title. At the 2009 Europeans, they finished 4th, just missing a medal. They placed 5th at the 2009 Worlds.

For the 2009–2010 season, they earned silver medals at the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard and 2009 Skate Canada. These results qualified them for their second Grand Prix Final. Fabian had an ankle injury before the final, but they still won a bronze medal. After finishing 4th at the 2010 Europeans and 7th at the Vancouver Olympics, they used their "Circus" free dance again. They finished 4th at the 2010 Worlds, setting new personal best scores.

European Champions

Péchalat and Bourzat compete at the 2011 Europeans.

Péchalat and Bourzat started the 2010–2011 season with gold medals at the 2010 Nebelhorn Trophy and the 2010 Finlandia Trophy. These were their first international gold medals. They won their first Grand Prix event at the 2010 Cup of China and their second at the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard. They set new personal best scores in both events. These wins qualified them for the Grand Prix Final, where they won a silver medal.

They then won their second French national title. At the 2011 European Championships, they won gold, setting new personal bests. This was their first medal at an ISU Championship and France's fifth European ice dancing title.

At the 2011 Worlds, they were in bronze medal position after the short dance. However, they dropped to fourth after Fabian fell during their free dance. After this event, they decided to move to Michigan to train with Anjelika Krylova and Pasquale Camerlengo.

Training in Michigan

Nathalie and Fabian at 2012 World Championships.

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

For the 2011–2012 Grand Prix season, they competed at three events. They won a silver medal at 2011 Skate America, even though Fabian was sick. They had to withdraw from Skate Canada due to his illness. After winning another silver medal at the Trophee Eric Bompard, they qualified for their fourth Grand Prix Final. They won a bronze medal at the Final, setting a new personal best in the free dance. They then won their third French national title.

At the 2012 European Championships, they won their second European title. Nathalie broke her nose in training before the 2012 World Championships. She decided to compete with a mask and delay surgery. At the World Championships, they won their first World medal, a bronze.

Final Seasons and Retirement

Bourzat at Bompard 2013.

In the 2012–2013 season, Péchalat and Bourzat won gold at both 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 leg, so they withdrew from the 2013 European Championships. They decided to compete at the 2013 World Championships to help France get two spots for ice dancers at the 2014 Olympics. They finished 6th. In May 2013, they changed coaches to Igor Shpilband in Novi, Michigan.

For their final season, 2013–2014, Péchalat and Bourzat won gold at the 2013 Cup of China. They earned a bronze medal at the 2013 Trophée Eric Bompard. At the Grand Prix Final in Japan, they won their fifth Grand Prix Final medal, a bronze. They then won their fifth French national title. They withdrew from the 2014 European Championships to focus on the Olympics.

Péchalat and Bourzat placed fourth at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. They had planned to retire after the Olympics. However, they decided to end their competitive career at the 2014 World Championships in Japan. They won their second World bronze medal there. After this, they retired from competitive skating but continued to perform in shows. Fabian also planned to coach with Igor Shpilband.

Skating Programs

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

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

Péchalat/Bourzat at the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard gala.

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

Here are some of the programs Péchalat and Bourzat performed:

Competitive Results

Here are Fabian Bourzat's competitive results with Nathalie Péchalat:

See also

In Spanish: Fabian Bourzat para niños