Bruno Massot

Personal life

Bruno Massot was born on 28 January 1989 in Caen, France. On April 15, 2015, he announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend, Sophie Levaufre.

Single skating and early partnerships

Massot competed in single skating through the 2006-07 season. He then switched to pair skating and teamed up with Camille Foucher, with whom he won a pair of senior bronze medals at the French Championships and competed at two World Junior Championships. After their partnership ended, he skated with Anne-Laure Letscher until February 2011.

Partnership with Popova

Massot and Daria Popova decided to team up in March 2011 and began serious training in June. They train in Caen, France with Jean-Francois Ballester. In their first season together, they also trained about three weeks every three months with Ingo Steuer in Chemnitz, Germany.

Popova/Massot's first competition together was the 2011 Master's de Patinage, where they won the silver medal. They were tenth in their international debut at the 2011 Coupe de Nice and placed fourth at the 2011 NRW Trophy. In December 2011, they won the 2012 French national title ahead of Vanessa James / Morgan Cipres. Visa and administrative delays led to uncertainty about their participation at the 2012 European Championships but the situation was resolved just before the event. Popova/Massot placed sixth in the short program and eighth overall. They were not assigned to the 2012 World Championships, but were part of the French team for the World Team Trophy.

In the 2012–13 season, Popova/Massot received two Grand Prix assignments — they placed fifth at the 2012 Skate Canada International and seventh at the 2012 Trophée Eric Bompard. They were second to James/Cipres at the French Championships and then placed seventh at the 2013 European Championships. At the 2013 World Championships, James/Cipres earned two spots for France in the pairs' event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. As France's second-ranked pair, Popova/Massot were in line to receive the second Olympic spot if she received French citizenship in time.

In 2013–14, Popova had a problem with the sole of one of her boots at the start of the season. She and Massot placed eighth at their first Grand Prix assignment, the 2013 Cup of China. Popova then ceased training for six weeks due to a stress fracture in the third metatarsal bone of her left foot, causing the pair to withdraw from the 2013 Trophée Eric Bompard and French Championships. Having resumed training in mid-December 2013, the pair elected to reduce the difficulty of some elements for the 2014 European Championships in January. They finished 11th at Europeans in Budapest. 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. Popova and Massot then went on to place 15th at the 2014 World Figure Skating Championships after placing 15th in both segments of the competition. It was their last competition together.

Partnership with Savchenko

On March 19, 2014, Massot was reported to have teamed up with Aliona Savchenko of Germany. The two began training together in April, working to adjust to each other's different technique. They made their first appearance as a pair at the 2014 All That Skate shows in South Korea. Because Chemnitz melted its ice rink until nearly the end of August, they trained in Coral Springs, Florida for two months beginning in mid-July.

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. In July 2014, Savchenko said she preferred to continue competing for Germany while Massot preferred France. On 29 September 2014, the Deutsche Eislauf-Union announced that the pair had decided to skate for Germany. In October 2014, Savchenko/Massot started training in Oberstdorf, coached by Alexander König. On June 9, 2015, Massot's mother announced that the French Figure Skating Federation (FFSG) had refused to release Massot to skate for Germany.

2015–16 season

On August 31, 2015, the FFSG reportedly demanded a release fee of 70,000 euros from Massot. He was released to skate for Germany on October 26, 2015.

Savchenko/Massot made their debut at the 2015 CS Tallinn Trophy, an ISU Challenger Series (CS) event, where they won the gold medal. That was followed by gold at the 2015 CS Warsaw Cup and German Championships. In January, they won silver at the 2016 European Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia. It was Massot's first medal at an ISU Championship. In April, they won the bronze medal at the 2016 World Championships in Boston, having placed fourth in the short program and third in the free skate.

2016–17 season

After taking gold at the 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, Savchenko/Massot won both of their Grand Prix events, the 2016 Rostelecom Cup and 2016 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. 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." She stated, "Luckily, the ligaments were not completely ruptured, but it takes eight to twelve weeks to heal." As a result, the pair withdrew from their December competitions, the Grand Prix Final and German Championships.

In January 2017, Savchenko/Massot won the silver medal, behind Russia's Evgenia Tarasova / Vladimir Morozov, at the 2017 European Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Detailed results

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals awarded for team results only.