De la Federatia Franceza
PRESS RELEASE
French Federation Communication Department

February 4th, 2010
ICE DANCING:
DELOBEL / SCHOENFELDER "WINNING COMEBACK"

Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder skated for their first competition of the season
this Tuesday 2nd February in Lyon’s Charlemagne ice rink where they regularly train. The
specialists and international judges who watched them were amazed by the quality of their
performance.
The couple have already won their incredible challenge: only a few months after the birth
of her baby son, Isabelle Delobel is already back at the highest level.
With only a few days left before the Olympic Games, both athletes brilliantly skated all
three dances (compulsory dance, original dance and free dance) in one day and without
difficulty, proving they are both in perfect physical condition. The aesthetic and emotional
quality of their performance (especially in the free dance) puts them back, to everyone’s
surprise, in the contest for the Olympic title. Isabelle and Olivier were awarded the
following scores:
- Compulsory Dance Tango Romantica : 46.52 points
- Original Dance : 69.09 points
- Free Dance : 106,49 points

Their total score of 222.10 points is only a few hundredths of a point away from the ice
dance this world season’s best. Isabelle and Olivier declared:
“Our progress last month was incredible, we have reached the level we were at when we
won the ISU Grand Prix Final in Korea a year ago. This test competition helped us show the
international judges who were here that we are back at the front of the stage. Our
motivation is now such that with another two weeks of training until the Games,
everything remains possible in Vancouver. It’s really great!”

Their coaches Muriel Zazoui and Romain Haguenauer were satisfied with this wonderful
result: “We have never stopped believing in them but these results exceed our wildest
hopes by a long way. Isabelle and Olivier are now back in the competition. The slates have
been cleared, the cards have to be reshuffled and we have quite a few trump cards in our
hand.”
The competition in Vancouver promises to be very exciting!