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| Born | (1989-01-28)28 January 1989 (age 36) Caen, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home town | Caen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Figure skating career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Germany France (until 2014) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Partner | Aljona Savchenko (2014–18) Daria Popova (2011–14) Anne-Laure Letscher (2010–11) Camille Foucher (2007–10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Alexander König,Jean-Francois Ballester | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Skating club | Acsel Caen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Began skating | 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HighestWS | 1 (2017–18) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bruno Massot (born 28 January 1989) is a French-Germanpair skating coach and former competitor. Competing withAljona Savchenko for Germany, he is the2018 Olympic Champion, the2018 World Champion, a two-timeEuropean silver medalist, and two-timeGerman national champion (2016, 2018).
Competing withDaria Popova for France, he became the 2014Challenge Cup champion and 2012French national champion.
Bruno Massot was born on 28 January 1989 inCaen, France.[1] On 15 April 2015, he announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend, Sophie Levaufre.[2] Their son, Louka, was born on 1 October 2018 inLa Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.[3][4]
On 23 November 2017, theDeutsche Eislauf-Union announced that Massot would be sworn in as a German citizen in a week.[5][6][7]
Massot began learning to skate in 1996.[1] From the age of seven, he was coached byJean-François Ballester.[8] He competed insingle skating through the 2006–07 season.[9]
When he was 17 years old, Ballester convinced him to trypair skating.[10] Massot teamed up with Camille Foucher, with whom he won a pair of senior bronze medals at theFrench Championships and competed at twoWorld Junior Championships.[11] After their partnership ended, he skated with Anne-Laure Letscher until February 2011.[12]
Massot andDaria Popova decided to team up in March 2011 and began serious training in June.[13]
Popova/Massot trained mainly inCaen, France, withJean-Francois Ballester.[12][14] In their first season together, they also trained about three weeks every three months withIngo Steuer inChemnitz, Germany.[15][16] Popova/Massot's first competition together was the 2011Master's de Patinage, where they won the silver medal. They were tenth in their international debut at the2011 Coupe de Nice and placed fourth at the2011 NRW Trophy. In December 2011, they won the2012 French national title ahead ofVanessa James /Morgan Cipres.[17]
Visa and administrative delays led to uncertainty about their participation at the2012 European Championships, but the situation was resolved just before the event.[18][19][20] Popova/Massot placed sixth in the short program and eighth overall. They were not assigned to the2012 World Championships, but were part of the French team for theWorld Team Trophy.
Popova/Massot received twoGrand Prix assignments — they placed fifth at the2012 Skate Canada International and seventh at the2012 Trophée Eric Bompard. They were second to James/Cipres at the French Championships and then placed seventh at the2013 European Championships. At the2013 World Championships, James/Cipres earned two spots for France in the pairs' event at the2014 Winter Olympics inSochi. As France's second-ranked pair, Popova/Massot were in line to receive the second Olympic spot if she received French citizenship in time.[21]
Popova had a problem with the sole of one of her boots at the start of the season.[21] She and Massot placed eighth at their first Grand Prix assignment, the2013 Cup of China. Popova then ceased training for six weeks due to astress fracture in thethird metatarsal bone of her left foot, causing the pair to withdraw from the2013 Trophée Eric Bompard andFrench Championships.[21]
Having resumed training in mid-December 2013, the pair elected to reduce the difficulty of some elements for the2014 European Championships in January.[21] They finished eleventh at Europeans inBudapest. On 21 January 2014, it was reported that Popova had not received French citizenship in time, and France's second spot would be transferred to Austria.[22] Popova and Massot then went on to place fifteenth at the2014 World Figure Skating Championships after placing fifteenth in both segments of the competition. It was their last competition together.
On 19 March 2014, Massot was reported to have teamed up withAljona Savchenko of Germany.[23] The two began training together in April, working to adjust to each other's different techniques.[24] They made their first appearance as a pair at the 2014All That Skate shows in South Korea.[25] Because Chemnitz melted its ice rink until nearly the end of August, they trained inCoral Springs, Florida for two months beginning in mid-July.[26][27]
Since the ISU does not allow any pairing to compete under two flags, one partner was obliged to change country and could not compete internationally until the previous country granted a release.[28][29] In July 2014, Savchenko said that she preferred to continue competing for Germany while Massot preferred France.[25] On 29 September 2014, theDeutsche Eislauf-Union announced that the pair had decided to skate for Germany.[30][31][32] In October 2014, Savchenko/Massot started training inOberstdorf, coached byAlexander König.[33]
On 9 June 2015, Massot's mother announced that the Fédération Française des Sports de Glace (FFSG) had refused to release Massot to skate for Germany.[34] He was not allowed to compete or perform in shows until the FFSG released him. Consequently, he lived on 200 euros a month for one and a half years. He considered living in his car, but the Deutsche Eislauf-Union stepped in with financial assistance to cover his rent, food, and training expenses, and to find some furniture.[35][36] On 31 August 2015, the FFSG reportedly demanded a fee of 70,000euros to release Massot,[37] but later agreed to 30,000 euros.[38] He was released to skate for Germany on 26 October 2015.[39]
Savchenko/Massot made their debut at the2015 CS Tallinn Trophy, anISU Challenger Series (CS) event, where they won the gold medal. That was followed by gold at the2015 CS Warsaw Cup andGerman Championships. In January, they won silver at the2016 European Championships inBratislava, Slovakia. It was Massot's first medal at anISU Championship.[40]
In April, they won the bronze medal at the2016 World Championships inBoston, having placed fourth in the short program and third in the free skate.
After taking gold at the2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy,[41] Savchenko/Massot won both of their Grand Prix events, the2016 Rostelecom Cup and2016 Trophée de France. On 12 November, Savchenko tore a ligament in her right ankle on the landing of the throw triple Axel during the free skate in France.[42][43] She decided to continue skating due to the possibility of a medal and being in a partnership, saying "If you were alone you might just throw in the towel, but there is that other half of the pair, who is also competing."[44] She stated, "Luckily, the ligaments were not completely ruptured, but it takes eight to twelve weeks to heal."[43] As a result, the pair withdrew from their December competitions, theGrand Prix Final andGerman Championships.
In January 2017, Savchenko/Massot won the silver medal, behind Russia'sEvgenia Tarasova /Vladimir Morozov, at the2017 European Championships inOstrava, Czech Republic.[45] In April, the pair received the silver medal, behind China'sSui Wenjing /Han Cong, at the2017 World Championships inHelsinki, Finland.
Savchenko/Massot began their season with silver at the2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy.[46] Turning to the Grand Prix series, they took silver at the2017 Skate Canada International after placing first in the short program and second in the free skate.[47] Ranked third in the short and first in the free, the pair won gold at the2017 Skate America.[48][49] Their results qualified them to theGrand Prix Final in December, which they won.
In November 2017, Massot received German citizenship,[5][50] allowing the pair to compete for Germany at the2018 Winter Olympics.
Savchenko and Massot withdrew from theEuropean Figure Skating Championships on 12 January, in order to focus their preparations for the Olympics.[51]
After competing in the first part of theteam event, Savchenko and Massot competed in theindividual pairs event.[52] They placed fourth in the short program after Massot doubled a jump. On 15 February 2018, Savchenko and Massot won the gold medal at the2018 Winter Olympics, with a new world record score of 159.31 in the free skate.[53]
Savchenko and Massot ended the season at the2018 World Championships inMilan,Italy, where they won their first world title together. They set new personal bests in both the short and free programs, in the process setting new world records for the free skate and combined score. Massot commented, "It was exactly the season that we wanted. We started this season in September, and we said, 'we will give our best to win everything.' We didn’t go to Europeans in order to prepare for the Olympics. I think it was a good choice. We realized today that we reached our goal of the season today."[51]
Following their World Championship victory, it was announced that the pair would take an indefinite break from competition.[54]
In summer 2018, Massot began working as a coach inCaen, France. In 2025, he relocated toAngers.[55]
His students have included:
Greta Crafoord /John Crafoord[56]Camille Kovalev /Pavel Kovalev[57] Chloe Panetta /Flavien Giniaux[58]Oxana Vouillamoz / Flavien Giniaux[59]Megan Wessenberg /Denys Strekalin[60]
Miriam Ziegler /Severin Kiefer[61]| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–2018 [1][62][49] |
|
|
|
| 2016–2017 [65][44] |
|
|
|
| 2015–2016 [66][67] |
|
|
|
| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2013–2014 [68] |
| |
| 2012–2013 [69] |
|
|
| 2011–2012 [15][70] |
|
| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 [11] |
|
|
| 2007–2008 [71] |
|
| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2006–2007 [9] |
|
|
GP:Grand Prix; CS:Challenger Series; JGP:Junior Grand Prix
| International[72] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 |
| Olympics | 1st | ||
| World Champ. | 3rd | 2nd | 1st |
| European Champ. | 2nd | 2nd | |
| GPFinal | WD | 1st | |
| GPRostelecom Cup | 1st | ||
| GPSkate Canada | 2nd | ||
| GPTrophée de France | 1st | ||
| GPSkate America | 1st | ||
| CSNebelhorn Trophy | 1st | 2nd | |
| CSTallinn Trophy | 1st | ||
| CSWarsaw Cup | 1st | ||
| Bavarian Open | 1st | ||
| National[72] | |||
| German Championships | 1st | WD | 1st |
| Team events | |||
| Olympics | 7th T 3rd P | ||
| TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew | |||
| International[73] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 |
| World Champ. | 15th | ||
| European Champ. | 8th | 7th | 11th |
| GPCup of China | 8th | ||
| GPSkate Canada | 5th | ||
| GPTrophée Bompard | 7th | WD | |
| Challenge Cup | 4th | 1st | |
| Cup of Nice | 10th | ||
| Nebelhorn Trophy | 5th | ||
| NRW Trophy | 4th | ||
| National[73] | |||
| French Champ. | 1st | 2nd | |
| Masters | 2nd | 2nd | 1st |
| Team events | |||
| World Team Trophy | 4th T 6th P | ||
| WD = Withdrew T = Team result, P = Personal result | |||
| International[74] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 2007–08 (with Foucher) | 2008–09 (with Foucher) | 2009–10 (with Foucher) | 2010–11 (with Letscher) |
| Junior Worlds | 18th | 14th | ||
| JGPUnited Kingdom | 11th | |||
| National | ||||
| French Champ. | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | |
| Masters | 3rd | 3rd J | 3rd | |
| International[9] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Event | 2005–06 | 2006–07 |
| JGPHungary | 14th | |
| JGPMexico | 9th | |
| Triglav Trophy | 5th J | |
| National | ||
| French Championships | 16th | |
| J = Junior level | ||
Small medals for short and free programs awarded only atISU Championships. At team events, medals are awarded for team results only.
| 2017–18 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21–24 March 2018 | 2018 World Championships | 1 82.98 | 1 162.86 | 1 245.84 |
| 14–25 February 2018 | 2018 Winter Olympics | 4 76.59 | 1 159.31 | 1 235.90 |
| 9–12 February 2018 | 2018 Winter Olympics (Team event) | 3 75.36 | 7 | |
| 14–16 December 2017 | 2018 German Championships | 1 76.29 | 1 153.09 | 1 229.38 |
| 7–10 December 2017 | 2017–18 Grand Prix Final | 1 79.43 | 1 157.25 | 1 236.68 |
| 24–26 November 2017 | 2017 Skate America | 3 72.55 | 1 150.58 | 1 223.13 |
| 27–29 October 2017 | 2017 Skate Canada International | 1 77.34 | 3 138.32 | 2 215.66 |
| 27–30 September 2017 | 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 2 72.99 | 2 138.09 | 2 211.08 |
| 2016–17 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| 29 March – 2 April 2017 | 2017 World Championships | 2 79.84 | 2 150.46 | 2 230.30 |
| 25–29 January 2017 | 2017 European Championships | 3 73.76 | 1 148.59 | 2 222.35 |
| 11–13 November 2016 | 2016 Trophée de France | 1 77.55 | 1 133.04 | 1 210.59 |
| 4–5 November 2016 | 2016 Rostelecom Cup | 2 69.51 | 1 138.38 | 1 207.89 |
| 22–24 September 2016 | 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 1 74.24 | 1 128.80 | 1 203.04 |
| 2015–16 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| 28 March – 3 April 2016 | 2016 World Championships | 4 74.22 | 3 141.95 | 3 216.17 |
| 25–31 January 2016 | 2016 European Championships | 2 75.54 | 3 125.24 | 2 200.78 |
| 11–13 December 2015 | 2016 German Championships | 1 80.61 | 1 141.61 | 1 222.22 |
| 27–29 November 2015 | 2015 CS Warsaw Cup | 1 76.30 | 1 133.30 | 1 209.60 |
| 18–22 November 2015 | 2015 CS Tallinn Trophy | 1 71.44 | 1 142.98 | 1 214.42 |
Media related toBruno Massot at Wikimedia Commons
