Exit the Monfort-Candeloro duo, which has been in place since 2005 on the France Télévisions channels. The public audiovisual group announced this Monday, October 21, a new trio of commentators for the figure skating events, for which it holds the rights. Marie-Christelle Maury, Nathalie Péchalat and Annick Dumont will be at the helm from November 1 for the French Grand Prix, reported on X (ex-Twitter) France Télévisions.
Marie-Christelle Maury, sports journalist for more than 20 years within the France Télévisions teams, is familiar to viewers as a regular commentator on major sporting events. Beyond her reports, we have often heard her on the microphone for gymnastics events.
At her side comes former world medalist Nathalie Péchalat. In a duo with Fabian Bourzat, she competed at the highest level for around fifteen years in ice dancing. The pair ended their sporting career in 2014, after a 4th place at the Sochi Olympic Games. The 40-year-old ex-skater was also president of the French Ice Sports Federation between March 2020 and June 2022.
Former coach Annick Dumont is the only survivor of the old trio of commentators, which she formed occasionally until now with Nelson Monfort and Olympic medalist Philippe Candeloro. Present since 1992 on commentary on France Télévisions, she “will continue to provide us with her technical expertise,” explains the group’s sports director, Laurent-Éric Le Lay, in a press release.
This announcement comes after more than 30 years of presence on the air in the discipline for Nelson Monfort. “I have a few figure skating dates this fall. Will I do the World Championships again? I don’t know anything about it. I prefer dotted lines to exclamation points. We will find ways to continue to collaborate,” he said in our columns in May, before the Olympic deadline. Unless there is a change of heart, he should therefore not return for the 2025 World Championships which will take place in March in Boston (United States).
