Nearly every figure skater taking to the ice at the Winter Olympics seems to be accompanied by the same mysterious character once their routine is complete.
As the athletes await their scores, the man in question – a tall, slender, bald figure – is seen wearing a new jacket for each nationality he represents, before sharing either their joy or disappointment when the results are in.
His close relationship with numerous Olympic skaters competing against each other, and incredible cycle of different national-team jackets, has turned him into somewhat of an internet sensation.
So who is the busiest man at the Milan-Cortina Games?
Benoit Richaud is the choreographer for 16 different competitors – including 12 single skaters and four pairs – from an astonishing 13 different countries in Italy this month, with no rule prohibiting coaches from working with different skaters.
According to the man himself, Richaud has around 10 jackets that he rotates between depending on who is competing, although he only needed a handful on Friday as five of his skaters made it to the men’s single final.
Benoit Richaud (right) is choreographer for 16 different figure skaters at the Winter Olympics
The Frenchman has been seen alongside a host of skaters, wearing a different jacket each time
‘I just come with all of (the jackets) and then I make quick changes,’ he told NBC News. ‘The people from the federation or team leaders, they help me and we make quick changes and that’s how it goes.
‘Sometimes it’s quite slow and sometimes it’s quite crazy when it’s one after the other one.’
So far at the Games, Richaud – a former competitive figure skater from Lyon, France – has been seen wearing jackets dedicated to American, Mexican, Canadian, Japanese and Georgian skaters he works alongside, to name just a few.
On Friday, he had a mad dash to take off an outfit supporting Georgia’s Nika Egadze before putting on the American colors for USA’s Maxim Naumov.
‘I know some coaches want to wear normal clothes. But I think the Olympic Games is a special moment where you also need to cherish the difference of people,’ Richaud said.
‘I think it’s something beautiful. Every different country has different cultures. When I go on the screen, I want to promote that.’
Richaud never placed higher than seventh in the World Junior Championships before turning to coaching in 2013, starting with ‘people who were 70 years old’ as opposed to the high-level skaters he mentors today.
Richaud is working alongside figure skaters from 13 different countries in Italy this month
When he eventually started working with top Latvian star Deniss Vasiļjevs, his popularity slowly grew before he became one of the world’s most in-demand choreographers.
‘I’m not scared. I’m not scared at all,’ Richaud said. ‘It means that I do whatever I want, and I never try to please judges or people.
‘If we want to do a crazy idea, we do it. I always find a way to make things happen.
‘One of my big powers is that I do things very differently, and it’s all connected to fear. I want to push our sport forward and change the styles, change the way people think and see figure skating.’
