PROFILE. Davide Lewton Brain, cutting quite a figure in skating

A great prospect in his discipline, the Monegasque figure skater has made an excellent start to the season. We look back on the career path of this ambitious and dedicated athlete, who is the pride of the Principality internationally.

You may have bumped into him a few years ago on the temporary ice rink on Port Hercule. An eight-year-old boy with light brown hair, pretty good on the ice. Fifteen years later, Davide Lewton Brain is all grown up and today he flies the Principality’s flag beyond our borders.

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It must be said that with a mother who was a prima ballerina with the Monte Carlo Ballets and a father who was also a dancer and is now an osteopath, the young man’s destiny seemed to be all mapped out. Born in Nice of Italian descent on his mother’s side and British on his father’s, at 23 he now represents Monaco in international figure skating competitions.

The Olympic dream

The Marketing Masters student recently took part in the European championships in Tallinn (Estonia), with a performance that confirmed his progress. Coming very close to qualifying for the Winter Olympics that are currently taking place in Beijing (China) where three Monegasque athletes are taking part, Davide Lewton Brain dreams of qualifying for the 2026 Games.

Genetically, with dancer parents, Davide quickly showed a natural talent for figure skating
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Valérie Gallo

But before thinking about the Olympic event, the young man is concentrating on the World championships, which will take place in March near Montpellier. “I have three competitions left in February to qualify for it”, he told us from Sofia in Bulgaria, the first of those three upcoming events, which saw him place second in the short program. “After two frustrating years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I am really keen to have a great season.”

Passionate about his sport since he fell into it at the age of eight on the Principality’s open-air ice rink, Davide Lewton Brain has shown immense determination to build a career and is now vying with opponents who started competing very early. “Davide fell in love with skating as soon as he started”, smiles Valérie Gallo, who has accompanied him for many years on the competition circuit, and who has watched his progress. “Genetically, with dancer parents, Davide quickly showed a natural talent for figure skating.”

“Those genetics helped him with the aerial skills, but today he is up against ‘boys’ who started skating school at the age of five. They had mastered all the technical difficulties before puberty, before the body changes. When Davide started competing, his body had already changed. But he is a hard worker who plays to his strengths and gets results.”

Annecy, his adopted home

Davide certainly did not have access to the same infrastructures as his counterparts in Eastern and Northern Europe, and even in France, when he was young. A member of the Monegasque Skating Federation (FMP), the Nice-born skater had to ‘go into exile’ at the age of fifteen near Annecy, to continue his training. A charming city, renowned for its old town and cobblestones, but also for its many canals and its lake, which he never left.

It is not easy to juggle everything, but I am aware how lucky I am to be able to pursue my passion on a daily basis.
Davide Lewton Brain

“I couldn’t see myself living in a city with no water, like Grenoble or Paris. When you’ve grown up in Monaco, with the sea every summer, you need a city with outdoor activities”, he smiles. Meanwhile, his long days are taken up with training sessions and remote marketing studies. “I also have physical training and mental preparation sessions. It is not easy to juggle everything, but I am aware how lucky I am to be able to pursue my passion on a daily basis.”

“Shy but funny and pleasant to be around”, in the words of Valérie Gallo, the FMP protégé does not conceal his pride at defending the Principality’s colours. “There aren’t many Monegasque skaters, so it’s always a pleasure to fly the Principality’s flag internationally.” An already unforgettable experience that he hopes will last as long as possible.