Marie-France Dubreuil Canadian figure skater Date of Birth: 11.08.1974 Country: Canada

1. Early Career and Partnerships
2. Financial Struggles and Breakthrough
3. National and International Success
4. Olympic Injury
5. Retirement and Transition to Coaching
6. Coaching Career

Early Career and Partnerships

Mari-France Dubreuil, a Canadian ice dancer, initially partnered with Bruno Ivars. Together, they achieved a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 1990. In 1995, Mari-France joined forces with Patrice Lauzon.

Financial Struggles and Breakthrough

Despite their talents, the Dubreuil-Lauzon duo faced financial challenges. Mari-France worked multiple jobs to support training expenses, while Patrice assisted his father at his store. Their fortunes changed after a silver medal at the Four Continents Championships in 2000, which secured them funding from the Canadian Figure Skating Association.

National and International Success

The Dubreuil-Lauzon partnership flourished. They captured five Canadian championships (2000, 2004-2007), two silver medals at the World Championships (2006, 2007), two silver medals at the Grand Prix Final (2006-2007), and the Four Continents Championship in 2007. They also participated in two Olympic Games.

Olympic Injury

During the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Mari-France suffered a severe fall during the original dance. She slipped from her partner's hand and hit the ice hard, forcing the duo to withdraw from the competition.

Retirement and Transition to Coaching

In 2007-2008, the couple took a break from competitive skating. On May 20, 2008, they officially announced their retirement. Later that year, Mari-France and Patrice exchanged wedding vows in Montreal. They welcomed a daughter in December 2010.

Coaching Career

Today, Mari-France and Patrice are prominent coaches and choreographers in figure skating. They guide the Danish dance team of Kaitlyn Good and Nikolai Sorensen and have also trained the Spanish pair Sara Hurtado and Adria Diaz.