# Pavel Kovalev (figure skater)

Pavel Antonovich Kovalev (Russian: Павел Антонович Ковалёв; born 4 January 1992) is a Russian-French pair skater. With his wife, Camille Kovalev, he is a two-time ISU Grand Prix medalist, 2018 Volvo Open Cup silver medalist, 2015 International Cup of Nice bronze medalist, 2015 Lombardia Trophy bronze medalist, and a four-time French national champion.

## Personal life

Kovalev was born on 4 January 1992, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He married his skating partner, Camille Mendoza, in December 2017.

## Career
### Early career for Russia

Kovalev began skating in 1996 in his hometown of Saint Petersburg. As a singles skater, he reached the Younger and Elder Age Russian Junior Championships. Kovalev competed two seasons in pairs with Zoya Rogovtseva beginning in the 2009–10 season and one season with Valeria Morozova in the 2011–12 season. Coached by Ludmila Velikova and Tatiana Kokoreva, he did not reach the Russian Championships with either partner.

### Skating with Camille Kovalev for France
#### 2014–15 season

In 2014, Kovalev partnered with French pair skater Camille Mendoza (later Kovalev) to represent France and that they would be coached by Medhi Bouzzine and that they would represent the Club Olympique de Courbevoie.
Their first competition as a team was at the 2014 Master's de Patinage, although they would withdraw from the event after placing third in the short program. They would subsequently compete at the 2014 NRW Trophy and the 2015 Bavarian Open, finishing fourth at both events.

### 2015–2016 season

The Kovalevs started the season by winning their first international medal together, a bronze at the 2015 Lombardia Trophy. They would then go on to win silver at the 2015 Master's de Patinage and bronze at the 2015 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur.
In December, the Kovalevs would win silver at the 2016 French Championships. They then closed the season with a fourth-place finish at the 2016 Bavarian Open.

### 2016–2017 season

Beginning the season with a gold medal win at the 2016 Master's de Patinage, the Kovalevs would subsequently finish sixth at the 2016 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur and fourth at the 2016 CS Tallinn Trophy.
They would end the season by winning bronze at the 2017 French Championships.

### 2017–2018 season

The Kovalevs started the season by winning bronze at the 2017 Master's de Patinage. They would then compete at the 2017 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur and the 2017 CS Tallinn Trophy, finishing eighth and fifth, respectively.

### 2018–2019 season

The Kovalevs began the season by winning silver at the 2018 Master's de Patinage and at the 2018 Volvo Open Cup. They then concluded the season by winning bronze at the 2019 French Championships.

### 2019–2020 season

Beginning the season at the 2020 Master's de Patinage, the Kovalevs won the gold medal. They would then go on to compete on the 2019–20 ISU Challenger Series, finishing thirteenth at the 2019 CS Warsaw Cup and seventeenth at the 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.
In December, the Kovalevs would win their second national silver medal at the 2020 French Championships.

### 2020–2021 season

The Kovalevs only competed at one event that season, the 2020 Master's de Patinage, where they won the bronze medal.

### 2021–2022 season: First national title and World Championship debut

In fall 2021, it was announced that the Kovalevs were now being coached by Laurent Depouilly in Courbevoie. They started the season by finishing seventh at the 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy. Making their Grand Prix series debut at the 2021 Internationaux de France, the pair would come in seventh place.
In December, they would win their first national title at the 2022 French Championships. With this result, the Kovalevs were selected to represent France at the European and World Championships for a first time. At the 2022 European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, they would come in fourteenth place.
In March 2022, the International Skating Union banned athletes representing Russia from competing at international events as a result of their invasion of Ukraine. In addition, the Chinese Skating Association opted not to send any athletes to compete at the 2022 World Championships in Montpellier, France. Because of this, the Kovalevs finished World Championships with a strong eighth-place.

### 2022–2023 season: First Grand Prix medal

The Kovalevs began the season by finishing sixth at the 2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy before going on to win gold at the 2022 Master's de Patinage.
Going on to compete on the 2022–23 Grand Prix circuit, the pair won the their first Grand Prix medal, a silver, at the 2022 Grand Prix de France. They would subsequenetly finish fifth at the 2022 NHK Trophy.
In December, the Kovalevs won the national title for a second consecutive time at the 2023 French Championships. Named to the European and World team, the Kovalevs would finish sixth at the 2023 European Championships in Espoo, Finland and fourteenth at the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, Japan.
Selected to compete for Team France in the pairs discipline at the 2023 World Team Trophy, the pair would individually place fifth and Team France would finish in fifth place overall.

### 2023–2024 season: Second Grand Prix medal

The Kovalevs started the season by winning gold at the 2023 John Nicks Pairs Challenge. Following a ninth-place finish at the 2023 CS Autumn Classic International, the pair would win gold for a fourth time at the 2023 Master's de Patinage. They would subsequently compete at the 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy, where they placed fifth.
Competing on the 2023–24 Grand Prix circuit, the Kovalevs won the bronze medal at the 2023 Grand Prix de France and finished fifth at the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo. In December, they would win their third national title at the 2024 French Championships.
The pair then went on to compete at the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, despite Camille developing a fever two days before the event. During the short program, Camille would have a very hard fall on the throw triple flip, landing on her chest. She would then fall again on the side-by-side triple toe. As a result of these mistakes, the pair would only place fifteenth in the short program. They would end up withdrawing before the free skate due to Camille's illness. The Kovalevs would subsequently compete at the 2024 International Challenge Cup, where they took the bronze medal.
Weeks before the 2024 World Championships, the Kovalevs announced that they would not compete at the event due to Pavel injuring himself from a very bad fall in training.
In June, the pair announced that while continuing their coaching relationship with Laurent Depouilly, they would begin training at the ASGA Figure Skating Club.

### 2024–25 season

During the off-season, Pavel dislocated his ankle and underwent surgery during the summer. He also injured his back shortly after returning to the ice and was subsequently forced to miss another two weeks of training. Having initially been told by doctors that they would likely need to sit out of the beginning of the season, Pavel was eventually be cleared to skate at the 2024 Master's de Patinage in late September, much earlier than the couple had expected. They ultimately won silver at the event. They subsequently finished sixth at the 2024 Tayside Trophy.
Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, the Kovalevs finished seventh at the 2024 Grand Prix de France and sixth at the 2024 Cup of China.
In late December, the Kovalevs won their fourth national title at the 2025 French Championships.

## Programs
### With Kovalev for France

| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| 2024–2025 | Toxic performed by 2WEI arranged by Maxime Rodriguez Toxic by Britney Spears arranged by Maxime Rodriguez Lordly by Feder arranged by Maxime Rodriguez choreo. by Polen Gezmiş, Pavel Kovalev | Manners Maketh Man (from Kingsman: The Secret Service) by Henry Jackman & Matthew Margeson arranged by Maxime Rodriguez Gun Barrel (from No Time to Die) by Hans Zimmer arranged by Maxime Rodriguez A Terrible Choice (from Mission: Impossible – Fallout) by Lorne Balfe arranged by Maxime Rodriguez No Time to Die (from No Time to Die) by Billie Eilish arranged by Maxime Rodriguez No Time to Die (M+ike remix) (from No Time to Die) by Billie Eilish arranged by Maxime Rodriguez choreo. by Dominique Deniaud, Nathalie Depouilly | Unknown (To You) by Jacob Banks |
| 2023–2024 | The Feeling Begins (Remix) by Peter Gabriel arranged by Jesuss In Matthew & Maxime Rodriguez Prince of Persia (Electrosila digital mix) by DJ Riga et Matisse & Maxime Rodriguez choreo. by Dominique Deniaud, Nathalie Depouilly | Manners Maketh Man (from Kingsman: The Secret Service) by Henry Jackman & Matthew Margeson arranged by Maxime Rodriguez Gun Barrel (from No Time to Die) by Hans Zimmer arranged by Maxime Rodriguez A Terrible Choice (from Mission: Impossible – Fallout) by Lorne Balfe arranged by Maxime Rodriguez No Time to Die (from No Time to Die) by Billie Eilish arranged by Maxime Rodriguez No Time to Die (M+ike remix) (from No Time to Die) by Billie Eilish arranged by Maxime Rodriguez choreo. by Dominique Deniaud, Nathalie Depouilly | |
| 2022–2023 | My Boy Bad Guy by Billie Eilish arranged by Maxime Rodriguez choreo. by Dominique Deniaud | Caruso by Lucio Dalla performed by Florent Pagny arranged by Maxime Rodriguez choreo. by Nathalie Depouilly | Natural by Imagine Dragons |
| 2021–22 | Libertango by Astor Piazzolla performed by The Swingle Singers choreo. by Dominique Deniaud | The Curse by Agnes Obel choreo. by Nathalie Depouilly | |
| 2018–19 | | What Love Can Be by Kingdom Come | |
| 2017–18 | Long Tall Sally by Little Richard Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis performed by The Baseballs | What Love Can Be by Kingdom Come | |
| 2016–17 | Long Tall Sally by Little Richard Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis performed by The Baseballs | | |
| 2015–16 | Iron Sky by Paolo Nutini choreo. by Léonie Corbin | To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra choreo. by Léonie Corbin | |
| 2014–15 | Industrial Revolution, Part 2 by Nic Raine choreo. by Léonie Corbin | The Earth Prelude by Ludovico Einaudi choreo. by Léonie Corbin | |

## Competitive highlights

* GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
* CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
* WD – Withdrew from competition
* Medals at team events are awarded for the team results only. Individual placements at team events are listed in parentheses.

### Pair skating with Camille Kovalev

Competition placements at senior level :
| Season | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 |
| World Championships | | | | | | | | 8th | 14th | | TBD |
| European Championships | | | | | | | | 14th | 6th | WD | 9th |
| French Championships | | 2nd | 3rd | | 3rd | 2nd | | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| World Team Trophy | | | | | | | | | 5th (5th) | | |
| GP Cup of China | | | | | | | | | | | 6th |
| GP Finland | | | | | | | | | | 5th | |
| GP France | | | | | | | | 7th | 2nd | 3rd | 7th |
| GP NHK Trophy | | | | | | | | | 5th | | |
| CS Autumn Classic | | | | | | | | | | 9th | |
| CS Finlandia Trophy | | | | | | | | | | 5th | |
| CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | | | | | | 17th | | | | | 6th |
| CS Nebelhorn Trophy | | | | | | | | | 6th | | |
| CS Tallinn Trophy | | | 4th | 5th | | | | | | | |
| CS Warsaw Cup | | | | | | 13th | | | | | |
| Bavarian Open | 4th | 4th | | | | | | | | | |
| Challenge Cup | | | | | | | | | | 3rd | |
| Cup of Nice | | 3rd | 6th | 8th | | | | | | | |
| John Nicks Challenge | | | | | | | | | | 1st | |
| Lombardia Trophy | | 3rd | | | | | | 7th | | | |
| Master's de Patinage | WD | 2nd | 1st | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 3rd | | 1st | 1st | 2nd |
| NRW Trophy | 4th | | | | | | | | | | |
| Road to 26 Trophy | | | | | | | | | | | 4th |
| Tayside Trophy | | | | | | | | | | | 6th |
| Volvo Open Cup | | | | | 2nd | | | | | | |

## Detailed results
### Pair skating with Camille Kovalev

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 179.85 | 2022 Grand Prix de France |
| Short program | TSS | 63.98 | 2022 Grand Prix de France |
| Short program | TES | 36.67 | 2022 Grand Prix de France |
| Short program | PCS | 29.21 | 2023 World Team Trophy |
| Free skating | TSS | 115.87 | 2022 Grand Prix de France |
| Free skating | TES | 57.30 | 2023 World Team Trophy |
| Free skating | PCS | 59.86 | 2022 Grand Prix de France |
ISU personal best scores in the +3/-3 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 141.87 | 2016 CS Tallinn Trophy |
| Short program | TSS | 51.76 | 2017 CS Tallinn Trophy |
| Short program | TES | 29.44 | 2017 CS Tallinn Trophy |
| Short program | PCS | 22.32 | 2017 CS Tallinn Trophy |
| Free skating | TSS | 91.11 | 2016 CS Tallinn Trophy |
| Free skating | TES | 46.35 | 2016 CS Tallinn Trophy |
| Free skating | PCS | 45.76 | 2016 CS Tallinn Trophy |
Results in the 2024-25 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 26–28, 2024 | 2024 Master's de Patinage | 2 | 42.75 | 2 | 94.88 | 2 | 137.63 |
| Oct 12–13, 2024 | 2024 Tayside Trophy | 3 | 52.72 | 6 | 92.61 | 6 | 145.33 |
| Nov 1–3, 2024 | 2024 Grand Prix de France | 7 | 54.81 | 6 | 102.23 | 7 | 157.04 |
| Nov 22–24, 2024 | 2024 Cup of China | 6 | 54.01 | 6 | 103.10 | 6 | 157.11 |
| Dec 4–7, 2024 | 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 5 | 54.52 | 5 | 103.93 | 6 | 158.45 |
| Dec 20–21, 2024 | 2025 French Championships | 1 | 65.93 | 1 | 112.82 | 1 | 178.75 |
| Jan 28 – Feb 2, 2025 | 2025 European Championships | 8 | 57.13 | 9 | 110.50 | 9 | 167.63 |
| Feb 18–20, 2025 | Road to 26 Trophy | 8 | 48.68 | 4 | 106.17 | 4 | 154.85 |