Getting to Know: Evgeniia Lopareva & Geoffrey Brissaud

By Matteo Morelli | Photo by Robin Ritoss

Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud train in Lyon and are a relatively new team representing
France. Three years into their partnership, they have just collected a fourth place at the
2021 Internationaux De France in Grenoble with a new personal best. We met them to talk about
this season and their future ambitions.

This is your first grand prix season as a team. How did you feel entering into it?
EL: Since we started to skate together, we have only been to the European and world championships,
so this is our first grand prix as a team. It was a little stressful for us because it is our debut in a grand
prix season. We were a bit nervous, but it is ok considering the importance of the event. We showed
what we have worked on and this is what matters.

GB:  The grand prix is a big event, but we think we skated well and are very happy with what we
achieved.

You have done two competitions before the GP season started: Lombardia Trophy (eighth place) and
Trophee Metropole Nice Cote d’Azur (second place). What have you learned from them?
EL: There were mistakes, some important ones also, but it was ok because it was the beginning of the
season. Not everything was really clean yet, but we worked well enough to be able to compete
there. They were good experiences, also to start dealing with the stress of this season. Now we
arrive more confident to competitions, we have learned from our mistakes and know what we need
to work on. It was good experience!

GB: We had a lot of changes last summer with a new group or work and staff. It is normal that at the
beginning the direction is a bit loose, but we treasure the experiences we make and keep working,
trying our best to improve our skating.

Tell us about your programmes this year.
EL: We choose the hip hop style for the Rhythm Dance. We built the programme in France with
Roxanne (Petetin), Fabian (Bourzat), and a hip hop specialist, Kader (Belmoktar). We tried to use
really classic hip hop, what we consider to be true hip hop. We also trying to dress really hip hop, as
well!

GB: The free is based on the music “Adagio”. We started building this programme in Russia with
Alexander Zhulin, and we feel that every time we get on the ice we are able to show more of the
story that we want to tell.

What are your objectives for this season?
EL: We had lot of changes recently. We want to show that we are a lot different from last season, we
have grown a lot and now we are a level up compared to the previous year. And of course we want
to try to skate our best and get good standings, it is a competition after all!
GB: We want people to start to understand that we are an important team, and that we are in the
game.

Adelina Galyavieva and Louis Thauron recently announced that they had to end their partnership.
How do you feel about this?
EL: We are very upset about it. We were really close to them and used to compare each other, it was
our internal fight. Now we don’t have this fight anymore, and we are sorry.

Do you feel more pressure on you?
GB: No, we don’t feel more pressure. The competition within the French bubble helps, but our goal is
to win internationally.

With so many great teams out there on the ice, are there other skaters that you look at and take
inspiration from?
GB: What is good between us is that we look at the best aspects from every good team out there. We
like a lot of those partnerships and try to be inspired by them.

You have been working together for three years so far. What do you like the most about your
partner?
EL: I like his confidence and I trust him a lot. For example, when we do a lift I always get into it
knowing that he would never let me down. He would never let me fall. And, he has a lot of passion in
the way he expresses himself in his dance. It is really special.

GB: What I like the most in Evgeniia is the quality and originality she brings on the ice. Every time she
has good ideas that are different from other people’s ideas, she tries to show what she wants and
acts with pride. And this is very important for me.  If you want to win in figure skating you have to be
different and unique, and she has that.

EL: Sometimes we don’t agree on some points in practice, but it is normal to have different opinions.
We listen to each other and respect each other a lot.

GB: The best quality of our team is that we fully respect each other and work together even when
things get tough or when we have differences.

Lastly, what are your off-ice passions?
EL: I like to dance, not just on the ice. I really like dance in general.
GB: I like a lot of things. it is difficult to choose!