Nathalie Péchalat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nathalie Péchalat
Péchalat and Bourzat at 2009 Skate Canada
Personal information
Country represented	France
Born	(1983-12-22) 22 December 1983 (age 41) Rouen, France
Height	1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Partner	Fabian Bourzat
Former partner	Julien Deheinzelin, Michael Zenezini
Former coach	Igor Shpilband, Anjelika Krylova, Pasquale Camerlengo, Alexander Zhulin, Oleg Volkov, Maxim Staviski, Muriel Zazoui, Romain Haguenauer, Anne Sophie Druet
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	1990
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

Nathalie Péchalat (born 22 December 1983) is a French retired ice dancer. She also worked as a skating official. From 2020 to 2022, she was the president of the French Federation of Ice Sports.

During her time competing with her partner Fabian Bourzat, she won many awards. They earned two bronze medals at the World Figure Skating Championships in 2012 and 2014. They were also two-time European champions in 2011 and 2012. Nathalie and Fabian won the French national title five times between 2009 and 2014. They also won five medals at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. On top of that, they earned thirteen other Grand Prix medals. This included three gold medals at Cup of China and two at Trophée Eric Bompard.

About Nathalie Péchalat

Nathalie Péchalat was born on December 22, 1983, in Rouen, France. She has an older brother and two sisters. Nathalie studied sports management at university. She also went to a top university in Russia for economics and finance. She planned to work in sports business after she stopped competing.

Péchalat is married to the French actor Jean Dujardin. Their relationship started in 2014. Their first daughter, Jeanne, was born in December 2015. They got married in May 2018. Their second daughter, Alice, was born in February 2021.

Early Skating Days

Nathalie Péchalat started skating when she was seven years old. At first, she was a singles skater. When she was ten, her coach suggested she try ice dancing. Her coach's son was looking for a partner, so she switched to ice dancing.

Péchalat competed with Julien Deheinzelin in 1997 and 1998. She broke her arm in 1998 and couldn't skate for six weeks. She then skated with Michael Zenezini in the 1999–2000 season. Their partnership ended after that season.

Partnership with Fabian Bourzat

Péchalat and Bourzat at the 2009 Europeans.

In March 2000, Muriel Zazoui suggested Nathalie team up with Fabian Bourzat. They didn't get along well at first. But they became good friends over time. Nathalie once said that Fabian was the perfect skating partner for her. She said he was very talented and worked by feeling. Fabian said Nathalie always pushed them to work hard. She always wanted to do everything perfectly.

Péchalat and Bourzat were coached by Muriel Boucher-Zazoui and Romain Haguenauer. They trained in Lyon, France, until 2008. They also worked with Pasquale Camerlengo early in their career. They competed as junior skaters for two years. They won two Junior Grand Prix medals. Then, they moved up to the senior level in the 2002–03 season.

First Senior Years (2003–2008)

Péchalat and Bourzat won bronze medals at the Winter Universiade in 2003 and 2005. They competed at their first Worlds in 2004, finishing 20th. They made their Europeans debut in 2005, placing 12th. The pair competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where they finished 18th.

In the 2006–07 season, they won their first senior Grand Prix medal. It was a bronze at the 2006 Skate America. Nathalie broke her hand that winter. This caused them to miss about eight weeks of training. They missed the 2007 European Championships. However, they competed at the 2007 World Championships, finishing 12th.

In the 2007–08 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 2008 French National Championships. But they were back on the ice for the 2008 Europeans, finishing 5th. They placed 7th at the 2008 Worlds.

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

Road to Success (2009–2011)

For the 2009–10 season, Péchalat and Bourzat 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.

Péchalat and Bourzat compete at the 2011 Europeans.

Péchalat and Bourzat started the 2010–11 season with two wins. They won the 2010 Nebelhorn Trophy and the 2010 Finlandia Trophy. The Nebelhorn Trophy was their first international gold medal. They won the 2010 Cup of China by a large margin. They also won their second Grand Prix title at the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard. These wins qualified them for the Grand Prix Final, where they won the silver medal. After that, they won the French nationals for the second time.

Péchalat and Bourzat then won the 2011 Europeans. They finished first in both parts of the competition. This was their first medal at an ISU Championship. They became France's fifth ice dancing European champions.

World Medals (2011–2014)

In May 2011, Péchalat and Bourzat moved to Michigan, USA. They trained at the Detroit Skating Club. They trained three hours a day on the ice. They also did off-ice training. They stayed on good terms with their old coaches.

Nathalie and Fabian at the 2012 World Championships.

Péchalat and Bourzat competed in three Grand Prix events. They won silver at Skate America. They had to withdraw from Skate Canada because Fabian was sick. They finished second at the Trophee Eric Bompard. These results qualified them for their third Grand Prix Final. There, they won the bronze medal. They then won their third French national title.

At the 2012 European Championships, they were second after the short dance. But they came back to win their second European title in a row. Nathalie broke her nose during training in March. She decided to compete at the 2012 World Championships anyway. At Worlds, they won the bronze medal. This was their first World medal.

Péchalat at Bompard 2013.

For the 2012–13 season, Péchalat and Bourzat won gold at the 2012 Cup of China and 2012 Trophee Eric Bompard. They qualified for their fourth Grand Prix Final, where they won bronze. Fabian had a leg injury in January 2013. This made them withdraw from the 2013 European Championships. They still competed at the 2013 World 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, they changed coaches to Igor Shpilband.

In the 2013–14 season, they won gold at the 2013 Cup of China. They won bronze at the 2013 Trophée Eric Bompard. At the Grand Prix Final, they won another bronze medal. This was their fifth medal at the event. They then won their fifth 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. But they decided to end their competitive career at the 2014 World Championships in Japan. There, they won their second World bronze medal.

Danse avec les stars

In 2014, Nathalie Péchalat joined the fifth season of Danse avec les stars. This is the French version of Dancing with the Stars. She was first partnered with professional dancer Grégoire Lyonnet. He left in week 6, so she was then partnered with Christophe Licata. On November 29, 2014, they reached the final. They finished as runners-up, losing to Rayane Bensetti and his partner Denitsa Ikonomova.

After Competing

After she and Fabian Bourzat retired in 2014, Nathalie Péchalat stayed very active in skating. She has worked as a commentator for Eurosport France since 2014. She comments on Grand Prix, Championship, and Olympic events. She also hosted a training camp for young skaters in 2018.

President of the FFSG

In March 2020, Péchalat announced she would run to lead the French Federation of Ice Sports (FFSG). She was elected president on March 14, 2020. She set new rules for how long someone could be president. This was to prevent past issues. When she ran for re-election in 2022, she was defeated by Gwenaëlle Noury.

Competitive highlights

With Bourzat

Earlier partnerships

(with Zenezini)

(with Deheinzelen)

Images for kids

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  Péchalat and Bourzat during the medal ceremony at the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships

• 

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

• 

  Péchalat and Bourzat at the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard gala.

• 

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

See also

In Spanish: Nathalie Péchalat para niños