Brian Joubert

Infobox Figure skater
title= Brian Joubert


caption= Joubert at the 2007 European Championships
fullname= Brian Joubert
altname=
country= FRA
formercountry=
dateofbirth= birth date and age|1984|9|20
birthplace= Poitiers, France
hometown=
residence=
height= convert|179|cm|ftin|abbr=on
coach= Jean-Christophe Simond
formercoach= Andrei Berezintsev,
Veronique Guyon,
Laurent Depouilly
choreographer= Evgeny Platov
formerchoreographer= Kurt Browning
skating club= Club France F.F.S.G.
retired=
combined total= 240.85
combined date= 2007 Worlds
SP score= 83.64
SP date= 2007 Worlds
FS score= 160.13
FS date= 2006 Cup of Russia

Brian Joubert (born September 20, 1984) is a French figure skater. He is the 2007 World Champion, a two-time European champion (2004 & 2007), a six-time French National champion, and the 2006 Grand Prix champion.

Personal life

Joubert was born in Poitiers, France to Jean-Michel and Raymonde Joubert. He suffered a life-threatening illness at the age of 11 months, which led to the removal of one kidney. Joubert, Brian, Loïc Lejay and Céline Longuèvre. "Brian Joubert: la rage de gagner", Jacob-Duvernet (March 13, 2006). ISBN 2-84724-105-1 ] Because of this illness, Joubert chose figure skating over more violent sports that he favored. He began skating at the age of four with his two older sisters. The siblings started out with ice dancing, but Joubert became fascinated with the jumping aspect of singles skating and switched disciplines. [http://web.archive.org/web/20070311193733/http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/5072616/detail.html?ib_oll=Headline 2006 NBC Olympics biography] , accessed July 7, 2007 ]

Joubert has been considered somewhat of a heartthrob in his native country, France. This reputation has been contributed to by Joubert's short relationship with former Miss France, Lætitia Bléger. [http://web.archive.org/web/20070311193733/http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/5072616/detail.html?ib_oll=Headline 2006 NBC Olympics biography] , accessed July 7, 2007 ] He later brought a lawsuit against Bléger for 40,000 Euros for insinuating that he was homosexual and that their relationship was arranged to hide this. [http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://forum.doctissimo.fr/psychologie/tele-realite/brian-joubert-demande-sujet_146500_1.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=7&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522brian%2Bjoubert%2522%2B%2522L%25C3%25A6titia%2BBl%25C3%25A9ger%2522%2B-wiki%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3D5FG%26sa%3DG Brian Joubert asks for 40,000 Euros] , accessed July 7, 2007] Bléger and two magazines that published her allegations were ordered by a French court to pay a total of 17,000 Euros, and to publish the court ruling in one of the two magazines. [http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://brian-et-joubert.skyrock.com/article_912252798.html&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=3&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522brian%2Bjoubert%2522%2B%2522L%25C3%25A6titia%2BBl%25C3%25A9ger%2522%26start%3D20%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DA3a%26sa%3DN A new victory for Brian!] , accessed July 7, 2007] . Joubert is currently dating Italian national champion Valentina Marchei [ [http://translate.google.com/translate?sourceid=navclient&hl=en&u=http%3a%2f%2ffr%2esports%2eyahoo%2ecom%2f03032008%2f1%2fmondiaux%2d2008%2dde%2dpatinage%2dbrian%2djoubert%2dpret%2ddefendre%2dson%2dtitre%2ehtml Brian Joubert Ready to Defend his Title] accessed May 5, 2008] .

Joubert is a sponsor for an association for children with Williams syndrome. Joubert, Brian, Loïc Lejay and Céline Longuèvre. "Brian Joubert: le Feu sur la Glace", Jacob-Duvernet (March 13, 2006). ISBN 2-84724-105-1 ] In March 13, 2006, Joubert published his biography, "Brian Joubert: le Feu sur la Glace" (Brian Joubert: the fire on ice), in French. [http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://blog.france2.fr/brianjoubert/index.php/2006/02/26/20881-sortie-dun-livre-sur-brian&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522LA%2BRAGE%2BDE%2BGAGNER%2522%2Bjoubert%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DYtr%26sa%3DN Translated book description] , accessed July 7, 2007 ]

Career

Joubert's first major international competition was the 2000 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, where he placed 15th. He failed to qualify for the French team for Junior Worlds for the next year: because of this, the then-president of the French Ice Sports Federation, Didier Gailhaguet, entered Joubert in the 2001 Top Jump competition, where he placed second. [ [http://www.eiskunstlauf-ecke.de/archiv/2001-02/topjump2001.shtml The Figure Skating Corner: 2001 Top Jump International ] ] The 2000-2001 season was the only season Joubert spent on the international junior circuit.

Joubert made his international senior debut at the 2001 Skate America, where he placed 9th. At French Nationals, he won the bronze medal, qualifying him for the 2002 European Figure Skating Championships. He won the bronze medal, which earned him a spot on the French team to the 2002 Olympics, where he placed 14th. He rose one spot to 13th at the World Championships the following month.

Joubert burst onto the international scene in the 2002-2003 season. Following the withdrawal of Alexei Yagudin from the 2002 Skate America competition due to a hip injury, Joubert rose to the occasion and won the competition. He qualified for the Grand Prix Final with a fifth place finish at home at the Trophee Lalique, and then won the bronze medal at his debut in the Grand Prix Final. He also won the French national championships that season, the first of six titles. He won silver at Europeans and placed 6th at Worlds.

In the 2003-2004 season, Joubert once again won a medal on the Grand Prix circuit. At Europeans, he became the first Frenchman to become European Champion in 40 years and the first non-Russian to win the event since 1996. He won his first World medal later that year, a silver.

The 2004-2005 season started well for Joubert; he won two Grand Prix medals and placed a close second at Europeans. However, he had a disappointing Worlds, finishing 6th. Joubert fought back in 2005-2006, but it was an up-and-down season. He skated to a third-place finish at Europeans, and though he was expected to make a run at the podium at the 2006 Olympics, Joubert placed a disappointing 6th. He rallied at the 2006 Worlds, winning the short program but losing the title overall to Stéphane Lambiel.

For the 2006-2007 Grand Prix season, Joubert was assigned to compete in Trophée Eric Bompard and Cup of Russia, and placed first in both events. He went on to win the ISU Grand Prix Final in Saint Petersburg. Joubert reclaimed his European title at the 2007 European Figure Skating Championships. He went on to Worlds and won his first World title.

Joubert began the 2007-2008 season at Skate Canada, which he won. He was forced to withdraw from Trophee Eric Bompard, his second Grand Prix event, before the event began, due to illness. [ [http://www.isu.org/vsite/vcontent/content/transnews/0,10869,4844-128590-19728-18885-280238-3787-4771-layout160-129898-news-item,00.html ISU : Full Story ] ] In the European championships in January 2008, Joubert fell on the triple axel in the short program and made mistakes in the long program, but still managed to earn his seventh European medal in as many appearances, a bronze. In March 2008, he competed at the World Championships, where he won the silver medal behind Canadian Jeffrey Buttle [ [http://www.isu.org/vsite/vcontent/content/transnews/0,10869,4844-128590-19728-18885-283685-3787-4771-layout160-129898-news-item,00.html ISU : 2008 World Figure Skating Championships Full Story] ] .

Technique

Joubert is known for his strong jumping ability. He has a consistent quadruple salchow and a quadruple toe loop. At the 2006 Cup of Russia competition, Joubert joined an elite group of men's skaters by landing three quadruple jumps--two toe loops and a salchow--in his long program. [http://www.goldenskate.com/articles/2006/012007.shtml Brian Joubert: In Peak Form] , accessed July 7, 2007 ] [http://goldenskate.com/articles/2006/112606_m.shtml 2006 Cup of Russia Highlights] , accessed July 7, 2007] . Joubert has stated in interviews that he considers quad jumps to be important for the future of figure skating as a sport [http://www.goldenskate.com/articles/2005/joubert.shtml Brian Joubert: Ready to Rally] , accessed April 14, 2008] .

Joubert has been criticized for the lack of variety in his spins, but this area has shown a marked improvement because of Joubert's work with Swiss skater Lucinda Ruh starting at the 2005-2006 season.

Coaching changes

Joubert trained for 15 years with Veronique Guyon because of his desire to remain close to his family in Poitiers. Guyon resigned from her position in the summer of 2003 due to her desire to spend more time with her family. Joubert then started training for the 2003-04 season with Laurent Depouilly [http://www.goldenskate.com/articles/2005/joubert.shtml Brian Joubert: Ready to Rally] , accessed July 7, 2007] , and took on Alexei Yagudin as his 'advisor'. [http://www.goldenskate.com/articles/2005/joubert.shtml Brian Joubert: Ready to Rally] , accessed July 7, 2007] Joubert parted ways with Yagudin because of Yagudin's dislike of Nikolai Morozov, Joubert's choreographer. [http://web.archive.org/web/20070311193733/http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/5072616/detail.html?ib_oll=Headline 2006 NBC Olympics biography] , accessed July 7, 2007 ]

Citing a lack of support from his coach, Joubert fired Depouilly and returned to Guyon for a brief period of time. However, Guyon's demands that Joubert stop working with his mother and that she should get paid by receiving 10% of his prize money from the 2005-06 season caused their relationship to further deteriorate, and Joubert parted ways with Guyon on October 2003. Joubert, Brian, Loïc Lejay and Céline Longuèvre. "Brian Joubert: la rage de gagner", Jacob-Duvernet (March 13, 2006). ISBN 2-84724-105-1 ] Joubert switched to Andrei Berenzitsev, but as of September 2006, is coached by Jean-Christophe Simond. His choreographer as of 2008 is Evgeny Platov [ [http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081004&content_id=52502&vkey=ice_news Joubert shows new programs in France] accessed October 5, 2008] .

Joubert has been criticized over his association with Didier Gailhaguet, the former and since reinstated head of the French skating organization. However, Joubert credits Gailhaguet as having helped his career enormously. [http://www.goldenskate.com/articles/2005/joubert.shtml Brian Joubert: Ready to Rally] , accessed July 7, 2007]

Programs

References

External links

* [http://www.h4.dion.ne.jp/~brian.fr/ Official Site]
*isu name | id=00004708 | name=Brian Joubert