Ruben Blommaert

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Ruben Blommaert
Hocke / Blommaert at the 2018 European Championships
Born (1992-03-05) 5 March 1992 (age 32)
Bruges, Belgium
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Figure skating career
Country Germany
Skating clubEC Oberstdorf
Began skating1998
Retired2023

Ruben Blommaert (born 5 March 1992) is a retired Belgian-born German pair skater. With his skating partner, Alisa Efimova, he is the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo silver medalist.

He also holds Belgian citizenship and competed for Belgium in single skating until 2010. Blommaert began representing Germany after teaming up with Annabelle Prölß to compete in pairs. They won the 2013 Cup of Nice and the 2013 German national title. He and his next partner, Mari Vartmann, won four ISU Challenger Series medals and the 2015 Cup of Nice. With Annika Hocke, Blommaert won silver medals at the 2017 CS Minsk-Arena Ice Star and 2017 International Cup of Nice and competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics. He competed for one season with Elena Pavlova.

Personal life[edit]

Ruben Blommaert was born on 5 March 1992 in Bruges, Belgium.[1] He became a German citizen on 1 July 2014 while retaining his Belgian citizenship.[2][3] He has a twin brother, Sander, who dances with the Royal Ballet in London.[4]

Career[edit]

Blommaert began learning to skate in 1998.[1] He competed for Belgium in single skating until 2010, appearing at the European Championships (finishing twenty-fifth in 2008 and 2009) and the Junior World Championships (finishing thirty-eighth in 2008 and twenty-eighth in 2009).[5]

Partnership with Prölß[edit]

Blommaert teamed up with Annabelle Prölß in October 2011.[6] They won the junior pairs title at the 2012 German Junior Championships.

In 2012–13, Prölß/Blommaert made their Junior Grand Prix debut in Lake Placid, finishing 6th, and then placed 4th in Germany. They won gold medals in the junior events at the 2013 Ice Challenge and 2013 Bavarian Open. Prölß/Blommaert won gold in their senior national debut at the 2013 German Championships. They finished 7th at the 2013 World Junior Championships.

In 2013–14, Prölß/Blommaert debuted on the senior international level. After finishing 4th at their first two events, they took gold at the International Cup of Nice. They received their first senior Grand Prix assignment, the 2013 Trophée Éric Bompard, after France's Daria Popova / Bruno Massot withdrew, finishing seveneth. They then closed their season with a silver medal at the 2014 International Challenge Cup.

In 2014–15, Prölß/Blommaert placed seventh at 2014 Skate America and sixth at the 2014 Rostelecom Cup. The pair soon parted ways after that.

Partnership with Vartmann[edit]

In the 2015–16 season, Blommaert started skating with Mari Vartmann.[7] They won the 2015 Cup of Nice. At the 2016 Europeans, they placed 4th in the short program, 8th in the free program and 8th overall.

Vartmann and Blommaert started the 2016–17 season on the Challenger Series, winning bronze at both Nebelhorn Trophy and Finlandia Trophy. On 10 January 2017, the Deutsche Eislauf-Union announced that the two had parted ways.[8]

Partnership with Hocke[edit]

Blommaert and Annika Hocke announced their partnership on 9 February 2017.[9] They competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, as well as at the 2018 and 2019 World Championships, before dissolving their partnership.

Partnership with Pavlova[edit]

Blommaert announced in July 2019 that he had formed a new partnership with Russian pair skater Elena Pavlova. Due to Pavlova's visa issues, they indicated they would initially have to split time training between Russia and Germany.[10] The pair split after one season.

Partnership with Efimova[edit]

Blommaert formed a new partnership with Alisa Efimova, who had previously competed with Alexander Korovin for Russia. They placed 2nd at the 2022 German Championships but were not allowed compete internationally until Efimova had been released by the Russian federation. They had their international debut at the 2022 Nebelhorn Trophy, where they placed second.[11]

Competing on the Grand Prix series, Efimova/Bloomaert competed at 2022 Skate Canada International, however, after a hard fall on a throw in the short program, Efimova bruised her thigh and the pair withdrew from the event before the free skate.[12] Going on to compete at the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo, Efimova/Bloomaert won the silver medal behind Rebecca Ghilardi / Filippo Ambrosini of Italy. At the 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, Efimova/Bloomaert finished fifth.[13]

The pair didn't compete at the 2023 German Championships due to Bloomaert coming down with a high fever a couple of days before the event.[12]

Regardless, they were still selected to compete at the 2023 European Championships in Espoo, Finland, Efimova/Bloomaert placed third in the short program but fifth in the free skate and dropped to fifth place overall.

Going on to compete at the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, Japan, Efimova/Bloomaert placed seventh in the short program and tenth in the free skate, finishing in tenth place overall.[13]

Bloomaert retired from competitive figure skating following the season, citing a lack of funding from the German Skating Union as one of the main reasons.[14]

Programs[edit]

Pairs with Efimova[edit]

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2022–2023
[13]

Pairs with Pavlova[edit]

Season Short program Free skating
2019–2020

Pairs with Hocke[edit]

Season Short program Free skating
2018–2019
[15]
  • Land of All
    by Woodkid
2017–2018
[16]

With Vartmann[edit]

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2016–2017
[1]
2015–2016
[7][17]

With Prölß[edit]

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2014–2015
[4][18]
2013–2014
[6][19]
  • O mio babbino caro
    (from Gianni Schicchi)
    by Giacomo Puccini
2012–2013
[20]
  • Italian Fantasia
    performed by Orchestra Mantovani

Single skating[edit]

Season Short program Free skating
2009–2010
[21]
2008–2009
[22]
2007–2008
[23]
2006–2007
[24]

Competitive highlights[edit]

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Pairs with Efimova for Germany[edit]

International
Event 21–22 22–23
Worlds 10th
Europeans 4th
GP Finland 2nd
CS Finlandia 2nd
CS Golden Spin 5th
CS Nebelhorn 2nd
National
German Champ. 2nd WD

Pairs with Pavlova for Germany[edit]

International
Event 2019–20
CS Golden Spin 10th
CS Warsaw Cup 5th
Volvo Open Cup 4th

Pairs with Hocke for Germany[edit]

International[25]
Event 2017–18 2018–19
Winter Olympics 16th
World Champ. 13th 14th
European Champ. 8th
GP Skate America 7th
CS Golden Spin 6th
CS Ice Star 2nd
CS Nebelhorn Trophy 5th
CS Warsaw Cup 4th
Bavarian Open 2nd
Challenge Cup 3rd
Cup of Nice 2nd
National
German Champ. 3rd 2nd

Pairs with Vartmann for Germany[edit]

International[26]
Event 2015–16 2016–17
European Champ. 8th WD
GP Cup of China 6th 7th
GP NHK Trophy 5th
CS Finlandia Trophy 3rd
CS Ice Challenge 2nd
CS Nebelhorn Trophy 4th 3rd
CS Tallinn Trophy 2nd
Cup of Nice 1st
International[26]
German Champ. 2nd 1st
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew

Pairs with Prölß for Germany[edit]

International[27]
Event 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15
GP Rostelecom Cup 6th
GP Skate America 7th
GP Trophée Bompard 7th
Challenge Cup 2nd
Cup of Nice 1st
Lombardia Trophy 4th
Nebelhorn Trophy 4th
International: Junior[27]
Junior Worlds 7th
JGP Germany 4th
JGP United States 6th
Bavarian Open 1st J
Ice Challenge 1st J
NRW Trophy 1st J
Warsaw Cup 1st J
National[27]
German Champ. 1st J. 1st
J = Junior

Men's singles for Belgium[edit]

International[5]
Event 06–07 07–08 08–09 09–10
European Champ. 25th 25th
Merano Cup 19th
Triglav Trophy 12th
International: Junior and novice[5]
Junior Worlds 38th 28th
JGP Bulgaria 17th
JGP Italy 11th
JGP Netherlands 24th
JGP United Kingdom 17th 10th
JGP United States 16th
EYOF 13th J
Warsaw Cup 2nd J
National[5]
Belgian Champ. 1st J 1st J 2nd J 2nd
Levels: N = Novice; J = Junior

Detailed results[edit]

Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships.

With Efimova[edit]

2022–2023 season
Date Event SP FS Total
March 22–26, 2023 2023 World Championships 7
65.23
10
119.23
10
184.46
January 25–29, 2023 2023 European Championships 3
62.77
5
110.89
4
173.66
November 25–27, 2022 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo 4
62.46
2
108.29
2
170.75
October 28–30, 2022 2022 Skate Canada International 7
51.49
WD WD
October 4–9, 2022 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy 2
62.54
2
114.57
2
177.11
September 21–24, 2022 2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 3
67.05
2
119.12
2
186.17
2021–2022 season
Date Event SP FS Total
December 9–11, 2021 2022 German Championships 2
66.20
2
118.03
2
184.23

With Pavlova[edit]

2019–2020 season
Date Event SP FS Total
December 4–7, 2019 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 5
59.40
12
92.41
10
151.81
November 14–17, 2019 2019 CS Warsaw Cup 11
51.38
5
104.59
5
155.97
November 5–10, 2019 2019 Volvo Open Cup 3
54.19
5
91.70
4
145.89

With Hocke[edit]

2018–19 season
Date Event SP FS Total
March 18–24, 2019 2019 World Championships 16
53.16
13
113.20
14
166.36
February 21–24, 2019 2019 International Challenge Cup 3
58.67
3
108.46
3
167.13
February 5–10, 2019 2019 Bavarian Open 2
55.34
1
108.92
2
164.26
December 21–23, 2018 2019 German Championships 2
57.03
2
112.34
2
169.37
December 5–8, 2018 2018 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 6
59.34
6
101.13
6
160.47
October 19–21, 2018 2018 Skate America 6
53.36
7
91.17
7
144.53
2017–18 season
Date Event SP FS Total
March 19–25, 2018 2018 World Championships 16
63.26
13
121.57
13
184.83
February 14–15, 2018 2018 Winter Olympics 16
63.04
16
108.94
16
171.98
January 15–21, 2018 2018 European Championships 9
57.05
8
113.16
8
170.21
December 14–16, 2017 2018 German Championships 3
57.19
3
107.47
3
164.66
November 16–19, 2017 2017 CS Warsaw Cup 3
58.84
4
103.11
4
161.95
October 26–29, 2017 2017 CS Ice Star 2
59.58
2
113.06
2
172.64
October 11–15, 2017 2017 International Cup of Nice 2
55.86
2
116.84
2
172.70
September 27–30, 2017 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 8
56.76
4
123.61
5
180.37

With Vartmann[edit]

2016–17 season
Date Event SP FS Total
December 15–17, 2016 2017 German Championships 1
61.22
1
119.68
1
180.90
November 25–27, 2016 2016 NHK Trophy 4
61.23
6
109.47
5
170.70
November 18–20, 2016 2016 Cup of China 7
60.88
5
113.00
7
173.88
October 6–10, 2016 2016 CS Finlandia Trophy 3
56.58
3
108.33
3
164.91
September 22–24, 2016 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 3
57.74
3
104.64
3
162.38
2015–16 season
Date Event SP FS Total
January 25–31, 2016 2016 European Championships 4
62.90
8
108.40
8
171.30
December 11–13, 2015 2016 German Championships 2
67.09
2
112.01
2
179.10
November 18–22, 2015 2015 CS Tallinn Trophy 2
61.62
2
115.75
2
177.04
November 6–8, 2015 2015 Cup of China 5
63.45
7
107.96
6
171.41
October 27–31, 2015 2015 CS Ice Challenge 3
56.38
2
99.24
2
155.62
October 14–18, 2015 2015 International Cup of Nice 1
59.42
1
105.98
1
165.40
September 24–26, 2015 2015 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 2
61.10
4
105.40
4
166.50

With Prölß[edit]

2014–2015 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
November 14–16, 2014 2014 Rostelecom Cup Senior 6
48.69
6
96.47
6
145.16
October 24–26, 2014 2014 Skate America Senior 7
48.87
8
87.48
7
136.35
2013–2014 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
March 6–9, 2014 2014 International Challenge Cup Senior 3
49.21
2
90.83
2
140.04
November 15–17, 2013 2013 Trophée Éric Bompard Senior 7
54.18
7
103.44
7
157.62
October 23–27, 2013 2013 International Cup of Nice Senior 2
57.44
3
102.81
1
160.25
September 26–28, 2013 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy Senior 5
55.24
4
103.14
4
158.38
September 19–22, 2013 2013 Lombardia Trophy Senior 2
57.88
4
98.14
4
156.02
2012–2013 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
February 27–March 3, 2013 2013 World Junior Championships Junior 6
49.95
4
97.88
7
147.83
February 6–11, 2013 2013 Bavarian Open Junior 1
50.25
1
99.35
1
149.60
December 21–22, 2012 2013 German Championships Senior 1
50.60
2
97.02
1
147.62
December 4–9, 2012 2012 NRW Trophy Junior 1
46.36
1
94.27
1
140.63
November 15–18, 2012 2013 Warsaw Cup Junior 2
48.68
2
88.17
2
136.85
November 6–11, 2012 2012 Ice Challenge Junior 1
40.83
1
80.52
1
121.35
October 10–13, 2012 2012 JGP Germany Junior 2
47.84
5
85.64
4
133.48
August 30–September 1, 2012 2012 JGP USA Junior 7
40.53
6
81.92
6
122.45
2011–2012 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
January 6–7, 2012 2012 German Championships Junior 1
-
1
-
1
118.01

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Mari VARTMANN / Ruben BLOMMAERT: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 9 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Paarläufer Ruben Blommaert wird Deutscher" [Pair skater Ruben Blommaert becomes a German citizen] (in German). Thüringische Landeszeitung. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Kunstschaatser Ruben Blommaert verkrijgt Duitse nationaliteit" [Figure skater Ruben Blommaert receives German citizenship] (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. Belga (news agency). 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Annabelle PRÖLSS / Ruben BLOMMAERT: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d "Competition Results: Ruben BLOMMAERT". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Annabelle PRÖLSS / Ruben BLOMMAERT: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ a b Flade, Tatjana (September 1, 2015). "Germany's Vartmann and Blommaert hope for strong start". Golden Skate.
  8. ^ "Vartmann/Blommaert gehen getrennte Wege" [Vartmann and Blommaert part ways]. Sport-Informations-Dienst (in German). rp-online.de. 10 January 2017. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Kurzinterview mit dem neuen deutschen Paarlaufpaar Annika Hocke und Ruben Blommaert" [Short interview with new German pair Annika Hocke and Ruben Blommaert]. figureskating-online.com (in German). 9 February 2017. Archived from the original on 9 February 2017.
  10. ^ "Interview Elena Pavlova/Ruben Blommaert". figureskating-online.com. 10 July 2019.
  11. ^ "Nebelhorn Trophy 2022 Oberstdorf: Neues Paar Alisa Efimova und Ruben Blommaert vor internationalem Debüt". Deutsche Eislauf-Union. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  12. ^ a b ""The main argument, as Ruben put it, was that "fun is more important to me than results." And he stopped getting joy from training." Alisa Efimova about the breakup of their pair with Ruben Blommaert". FS Gossips. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  13. ^ a b c "Alisa Efimova / Ruben Blommaert: 2022/23". International Skating Union. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  14. ^ Bloomaert, Ruben. "Retirement". Instagram. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Annika HOCKE / Ruben BLOMMAERT: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020.
  16. ^ "Annika HOCKE / Ruben BLOMMAERT: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 1 November 2017.
  17. ^ "Mari VARTMANN / Ruben BLOMMAERT: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ "Video Interview: Annabelle Prölß/Ruben Blommaert". figureskating-online.com. July 2014.
  19. ^ "Annabelle Prölß and Ruben Blommaert: Video interview, Oberstdorf". figureskating-online.com. July 2013.
  20. ^ "Annabelle PRÖLSS / Ruben BLOMMAERT: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 20 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. ^ "Ruben BLOMMAERT: 2009/2010". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 9 May 2010.
  22. ^ "Ruben BLOMMAERT: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  23. ^ "Ruben BLOMMAERT: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^ "Ruben BLOMMAERT: 2006/2007". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 24 March 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  25. ^ "Competition Results: Annika HOCKE / Ruben BLOMMAERT". International Skating Union.
  26. ^ a b "Competition Results: Mari VARTMANN / Ruben BLOMMAERT". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 9 February 2017.
  27. ^ a b c "Competition Results: Annabelle PRÖLSS / Ruben BLOMMAERT". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.

External links[edit]

Media related to Ruben Blommaert at Wikimedia Commons