Jean-François Ballester


Jean-François Ballester was a French figure skating coach. He is best known for his work with Aliona Savchenko / Bruno Massot, who won gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics, 2018 World Championships and 2017–18 Grand Prix Final.

Personal life

Jean-François "Jeff" Ballester was born on 1 September 1965, in Rouen, France. He died on 2 December 2018 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, following a heart attack at his home.
His mother and sister have also worked as skating coaches.

Career

Ballester started learning to skate as a five-year-old and was competing in junior pairs when he decided to retire at age 19. He coached at ACSEL Caen from 1994 to 2014. He also worked in Switzerland, at CP La Chaux-de-Fonds and CP Biel/Bienne.
Ballester coached: