Yannick Ponsero (born 17 October 1986) is a French former competitive figure skater. He won two medals at the World Junior Championships (silver in 2005, bronze in 2006) and two medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, including gold in France. On the senior level, he is the 2008 NHK Trophy bronze medalist, a two-time International Cup of Nice champion, and the 2009 French national champion.
Personal life Ponsero was born on 17 October 1986 in Annecy, France. In addition to skating, he competed in skiing events until the age of 12. He studied physiotherapy.
Career Ponsero began skating at age four after watching his sister Christina at the rink. He represented the SG Annecy club and was coached by Didier Lucine for many years.
In the 2001–02 season, Ponsero debuted on the Junior Grand Prix (JGP) series and competed at his first World Junior Championships, finishing 8th. In March 2005, he stepped onto the podium at the World Junior Championships in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; ranked third in his qualifying group, first in the short program, and second in the free skate, he won the silver medal behind Nobunari Oda of Japan.
Making his senior Grand Prix (GP) debut, Ponsero placed fifth in October 2005 at Skate America. He was seventh at his second GP assignment, the 2005 NHK Trophy. In March 2006, he ranked second in his qualifying group, first in the short, and seventh in the free at the World Junior Championships in Ljubljana, Slovenia; he was awarded the bronze medal behind Japan's Takahiko Kozuka and Russia's Sergei Voronov.
Ponsero won the International Cup of Nice in 2007 and 2008. Competing in the 2008–09 Grand Prix series, he finished fourth at the 2008 Skate Canada International, having dropped from first after the short program. He won his only Grand Prix medal, a bronze, at the 2008 NHK Trophy and became an alternate for the Grand Prix Final. At the 2009 European Championships, Ponsero was 9th following the short program. He won the long program with a new personal best but missed out on a medal by 0.06 of a point.
At the 2010 European Championships, Ponsero was third following the short program and seventh in the long program, finishing sixth overall. He was not selected for either the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver or the 2010 World Championships in Turin. In January 2011, he announced that he had decided to take time off from skating in order to focus on his studies.
Programs Season Short program Free skating Exhibition 2010–11 La Corrida Diem Caravan Summertime Porgy and Bess Sing Sing Sing 2009–10 Sous Le Ciel De Paris La Belle Vie 2008–09 Ice 5 Les Bronzes 2007–08 Otonal The Da Vinci Code Tristan & Iseult 2006–07 In the Mood for Love The Da Vinci Code 2005–06 Les Lacs Du Conemara 2003–04 Vivre Pour le Meilleur The Matrix Reloaded 2001–03 Belphegore The Mummy
Competitive highlights GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
International Event 01–02 02–03 03–04 04–05 05–06 06–07 07–08 08–09 09–10 10–11 Worlds 14th 18th 16th Europeans 12th 12th 4th 6th Bompard 5th Cup of China 7th 5th Cup of Russia 6th NHK Trophy 7th 3rd Skate America 5th Skate Canada 6th 6th 4th Cup of Nice 1st 1st WD Nebelhorn 3rd 6th NRW Trophy 1st Universiade 9th International: Junior Junior Worlds 8th 14th 9th 2nd 3rd Czech Rep. 5th France 1st Germany 5th Italy 13th 6th Netherlands 9th Poland 6th Slovakia 3rd EYOF 2nd National French Champ. 14th 10th 5th 5th 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd Master's 1st J. 1st J. 1st J. 1st J. 4th 3rd 2nd 3rd 4th J. = Junior level; WD = Withdrew
References
External links
Official website of Yannick Ponsero