From “Boss of the Workforce” to Coaching Powerhouse: One Winter Olympics Coach Trains 16 Athletes Across 13 Countries, Openly Switching Teams in Public View

At the Winter Olympics, athletes push themselves to the limit in pursuit of top results—and the coaches’ area can be just as intense. Among the busiest of them all is French figure skating coach Benoît Richaud, who seems to be working multiple “jobs” at once.

During figure skating events, viewers may notice Richaud seated beside a Georgian skater in one moment, then appearing next to athletes from France, Canada, and other nations the next. It naturally leaves people wondering: which team is he actually coaching?

The answer is surprising but simple—all of them. Thanks to his strong professional reputation and highly regarded expertise, Richaud has earned the trust of skaters from around the world. In total, 16 athletes from 13 different countries or regions have hired him as their figure skating coach.

Unlike many other sports, figure skaters often train under individual coaching teams rather than national squads. Competition rules also allow a single coach to support multiple athletes—even when they represent different countries and face each other as direct rivals on the ice. In the early hours of one competition day alone, Richaud reportedly appeared on camera four separate times, each time alongside a different athlete.

To match whichever skater he is guiding at that moment, Richaud even changes into the appropriate team gear. Reports say he prepared around ten different team outfits for the event. When one of his students is up next, he quickly switches clothing and heads to the boards to coach them through their program. When the schedule is too tight, he has even been seen changing outfits in public, jokingly described by fans as “switching sides” in plain sight.

Online, the comments quickly turned playful:
“Deep down, he already knows who the champion will be.”
“This feels like a spy with four or five identities—no matter what happens, one of his roles wins.”
“I don’t care who the champion is, but the champion’s coach must be me.”
“You’re even more impressive than Su Qin!”

Richaud is only 38 years old, yet his influence in the sport is already widely recognized. In 2024, he was named Best Figure Skating Choreographer by the International Skating Union. He was nominated again the following year, though he did not ultimately win.