Geoffrey Brissaud

Brissaud was born on 23 March 1998 in Limoges, France. He was formerly engaged to Azerbaijani single skater, Ekaterina Ryabova.^[2]

Brissaud began figure skating in 2000. Teaming up with Sarah-Marine Rouffanche, Brissaud started competing as an ice dancer in 2010. Brissaud/Rouffanche initially trained in Lyon under coaches, Muriel Zazoui, Romain Haguenauer, and Olivier Schoenfelder before later moving to Milan, Italy to train under Barbara Fusar Poli, Stefano Caruso, and Cedric Pernet. Together, the team would win silver on the junior level at the 2015 and 2017 French Championships, and competed at the 2015 World Junior Championships, finishing fifteenth. Their partnership would dissolve following the 2016–17 season.^[3][4][5]

Before the start of the 2018–19 season, Brissaud teamed up with Russian ice dancer, Evgeniia Lopareva, to compete for France. It was subsequently announced that they would be coached by Ekaterina Rubleva in Moscow, Russia.^[6] The new team received two international assignments – the 2019 Egna Dance Trophy, where they took silver in the junior division, and the 2019 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, where they placed tenth.^[7]

Lopareva/Brissaud made their senior international debut in September at their first assignment of the 2019–20 season, the 2019 CS Nepela Memorial Trophy. Here, the team placed eighth in the rhythm dance but made a comeback in the free dance (fourth) to finish sixth overall. The pair also set new personal bests in all three segments at the event.^[7]

At their next Challenger Series assignment, 2019 CS Warsaw Cup, Lopareva/Brissaud again set another personal best in the rhythm dance. After taking the bronze medal at the senior French Championships, they competed at the European Championships for the first time, placing fifteenth.^[7]

Following the season, the team would move their training from Moscow, Russia to Lyon, France, where they were coached by Roxane Petetin, Fabian Bourzat, Ekaterina Rubleva, and Ivan Shefer.^[8]

Lopareva/Brissaud were scheduled to make their Grand Prix debut at the 2020 Internationaux de France, but the event was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They made their World Championship debut at the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm, placing seventeenth.^[7] Their placement, combined with the sixteenth-place finish of the other French dance team competing at the championships, qualified a single berth for France at the 2022 Winter Olympics and the following year's world championships.^[9]

Lopareva/Brissaud made their seasonal Challenger debut at the 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy, placing eighth. They were initially assigned to make their Grand Prix debut at the 2021 Cup of China, but following its cancellation, they were reassigned to the 2021 Gran Premio d'Italia. They placed sixth at the event, setting new personal bests in the free dance and total score. They finished in fourth place at the 2021 Internationaux de France, setting new personal bests in the rhythm dance and total score. Lopareva said they were "very happy with the result" of their first Grand Prix season.^[7]

After winning a silver medal at the International Cup of Nice, Lopareva/Brissaud won their second consecutive national silver medal. They were assigned to the 2022 European Championships in Tallinn, where they finished ninth.^[7]

Prior to the season, it was announced that Lopareva and Brissaud would begin splitting their time between training in Lyon, France under coach, Roxane Petetin, and in Montreal, Quebec, Canada under coaches, Romain Haguenauer, Marie France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Pascal Denis.^[10][11] Lopareva/Brissaud began the season by winning the silver medal at the 2022 CS Budapest Trophy.^[7] With Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron sitting out at least the season, Lopareva/Brissaud, were the most senior French team assigned to compete at the 2022 Grand Prix de France, where they won the bronze medal, their first on the Grand Prix.^[12] They finished fifth at the 2022 NHK Trophy.^[13]

At the French championships in Rouen, Lopareva/Brissaud won the national title for the first time in their career.^[14] At the 2023 European Championships in Espoo, they finished sixth in the rhythm dance, missing the final flight of the free dance by 0.42 behind Czechs Taschlerová/Taschler.^[15] They overtook the Czechs in the free dance, finishing fifth overall.^[16] They finished twelfth at the 2023 World Championships.^[7] Lopareva/Brissaud then joined Team France for the 2023 World Team Trophy, finishing fifth in the rhythm dance and fourth in the free dance.^[17][18] Team France finished in fifth place.^[19]

 

For the 1980s-themed rhythm dance, Lopareva and Brissaud desired to skate to a less conventional choice, and took their coach's recommendation of the work of French synth-pop singer Mylène Farmer. Their free program was a "biographical" story using the music of Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, with Brissaud playing Rachmaninoff and Lopareva his "muse and inspiration."^[20]

 

Lopareva/Brissaud began the season at the 2023 CS Autumn Classic International, winning the silver medal. They were invited to participate in the Shanghai Trophy, earning a second silver medal.^[7] They started on the Grand Prix at the 2023 Skate America, where they finished third in the rhythm dance, only 0.60 points behind Canadian training mates Lajoie/Lagha.^[21] They were third in the free dance as well, albeit slightly further behind second-place, and won the bronze medal. Lopareva called the result "very, very special" given the strong field.^[20] With their home Grand Prix de France as their second event, Lopareva/Brissaud finished third in both segments to take the bronze medal. They noted some technical issues, particularly lost levels on their free program dance spin, they said they had felt they had improved their performance elements, with Brissaud saying "we feel like we are improving little by little, step by step."^[22] The podium of gold medalists Guignard/Fabbri, silver medalists Fournier Beaudry/Sørensen, and bronze medalists Lopareva/Brissaud was the same as the previous year.^[23] Following the Grand Prix, the duo won gold at the 2023 CS Warsaw Cup.^[7]

After retaining their French national title, Lopareva/Brissaud competed at the 2024 European Championships, where they placed fourth in both segments and fourth overall, 6.20 points back of bronze medalists Reed/Ambrulevičius of Lithuania.^[24]

Lopareva/Brissaud concluded the season at the 2024 World Championships in Montreal, where they finished seventh in the rhythm dance, breaking the 80-point threshold. They dropped to eighth after the free dance, but broke the 200-point threshold overall, which Brissaud called a "gift", noting that the free dance occurred on his birthday.^[25]

Lopareva/Brissaud made their season debut at the 2024 Shanghai Trophy, where they won the silver medal.^[7] Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, the team took the bronze medal at 2024 Skate Canada International.^[26] At the 2024 Grand Prix de France, Lopareva/Brissaud had an unexpected victory due to overwhelming favorites, Charlène Guignard/Marco Fabbri, unexpectedly faltering during their free dance.^[7][27] With these Grand Prix series results, Lopareva/Brissaud qualified for the Grand Prix Final for the first time in their careers.^[28]

• Evgenia Lopareva & Geoffrey Brissaud at the International Skating Union
• Evgenia Lopareva & Geoffrey Brissaud at SkatingScores.com
• Sarah-Marine Rouffanche / Geoffrey Brissaud at the International Skating Union