Abitbol, Sarah

Sport:
figure skating

Country Represented:
France

Years Competed:
1998, 2002

Olympic Info:
A two-time member of the French Olympic figure skating team, Abitbol first competed in the Winter Games in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. With partner, Stephane Bernadis, Abitbol finished in sixth place in the pairs competition. They returned to the Games in 2002 at Salt Lake City, and were considered medal favorites. The week before the Games, however, Abitbol tore her achilles tendon and they were forced to withdraw from the competition. She said following the injury, "For me, this is the collapse of a dream after 20 years of skating...I have so many regrets because we were well-prepared. I've never been injured before."

Career Highlights:
Abitbol began skating at the age of six and teamed up with partner Stephane Bernadis in 1992. They won their first medal (a bronze) in 1994 at Skate Canada, and then captured the gold medal at Skate Israel the following year.

Since teaming up, Abitbol and Bernadis have thoroughly dominated French pairs skating, winning the French Championship every year since 1995. The duo have also been quite successful in international competition, and between 1996-2001, they won the bronze medal at the European Championships every year except 1997 when they placed fourth.

In 2000, they won the bronze medal at the World Championships, becoming the first French pair to win a medal in the Worlds since 1932. Unfortunately, they missed the 2001 World Championships because Bernadis could not compete due to injury, and their dream of an Olympic medal ended.

Following the 2002 Olympics, the duo returned to the ice and captured the gold medal in the French Championships, the silver medal in the European Championships, and the bronze in the Russia Cup.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. June 8, 1975

Origin:
Nantes, France

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