Sarah Abitbol (born 8 June 1975) is a French former competitive pair skater. With skating partner
Stéphane Bernadis
Stéphane Bernadis (, born 23 February 1974) is a French former pair skater. With skating partner Sarah Abitbol, he is the 2000 World bronze medalist, the 2000 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, a seven-time European medalist (two silver and ...
Nantes
Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
, France, Abitbol began skating at the age of six, choosing skating over swimming. She initially took lessons and practiced in that area. In 1992, at the age of 17, she teamed up with
Stéphane Bernadis
Stéphane Bernadis (, born 23 February 1974) is a French former pair skater. With skating partner Sarah Abitbol, he is the 2000 World bronze medalist, the 2000 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, a seven-time European medalist (two silver and ...
to compete in pair skating. Abitbol/Bernadis were coached by Jean-Roland Racle early in their career, followed by
Stanislav Leonovich
Stanislav Viktorovich Leonovich (; 22 July 1958 – 1 July 2022) was a Russian figure skating coach and pair skater who represented the Soviet Union. With his skating partner, Marina Pestova, he became a two-time World medalist (silver in 198 ...
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
, when Andrée Brunet / Pierre Brunet won gold in this competition.
When Bernadis became injured after performing the short program, the pair had to withdraw from the 2001 World Championships. They qualified for the 2002 Olympics by winning the 2001
Golden Spin of Zagreb
The Golden Spin of Zagreb () is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Croatian Skating Federation () and held in Zagreb, Croatia. The competition debuted in 1973, and ...
. Abitbol/Bernadis withdrew from the 2002 Olympics after Abitbol's
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
ruptured in practice; she underwent surgery and was off the ice for six months. After the 2003 European Championships, the pair changed coaches, moving to
Jean-Christophe Simond
Jean-Christophe Simond (born 29 April 1960 in Les Contamines-Montjoie) is a French figure skater
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included ...
.
Abitbol/Bernadis worked on
throw
Throwing is a physical action that consists of mechanically accelerating a projectile and then releasing it into a ballistic trajectory, usually with the aim of impacting a distant target. ''Throwing'' typically refers to hand-throwing by a ...
Abitbol married Jean-Louis Lacaille in 2009. Their daughter, Stella, was born in June 2011.
In January 2020, Abitbol published a memoir, ''Such A Long Silence'' (''Un si long silence''). In it, she accused her former singles coach
Gilles Beyer
Gilles Beyer (25 January 1957 – 19 January 2023)FFSG president Didier Gailhaguet over his alleged covering up of past allegations against Beyer, in addition to cover ups of other cases.
While the assaults reported by Abitbol occurred outside the time limits of the statutes of limitations, Beyer was subsequently charged with sexual assault and harassment in cases relating to six other students who came forward with allegations of more recent events. In addition, Sports Minister
Roxana Mărăcineanu
Roxana Maracineanu (; born 7 May 1975) is a Romanian-French politician, former swimming champion and television consultant who served as Minister Delegate in charge of Sports in the government of Prime Minister Jean Castex (2020–2022) and as ...
ordered a broader investigation of the prevalence of sexual abuse in French sports culture. This concluded with reports of misconduct by more than 400 individuals.