Théo le Mercier explained

Théo le Mercier (born 18 October 1999) is a French ice dancer. With his skating partner, Loïcia Demougeot, he is the 2023 CS Budapest Trophy bronze medalist, 2024 International Challenge Cup champion, and three-time French national medalists.

Earlier in their career, Demougeot and Le Mercier twice finished with in the top eight at the World Junior Championships (2019; 2020) and were two-time silver medalists on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series.

Career

Early years

Le Mercier began learning to skate in 2003. He skated with Jade Marchal for at least five seasons, winning the French national novice title in March 2015.

Le Mercier teamed up with Loïcia Demougeot in 2015. The two made their international debut in February 2016 at the Bavarian Open. They debuted on the Junior Grand Prix series in August of the same year.

Demougeot and Le Mercier qualified to the final segment at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. They ranked fourteenth in the short dance, fifteenth in the free dance, and fifteenth overall.

In February 2019, they won the French junior national title for the first time. They placed seventh in the rhythm dance, ninth in the free dance, and eighth overall at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.

Beginning the 2019–20 season on the Junior Grand Prix, Demougeot and Le Mercier won silver medals at both the JGP France and the JGP Croatia, qualifying for the first time to the Junior Grand Prix Final, where they finished fifth. Winning a second consecutive national junior title, they then placed sixth at the 2020 World Junior Championships.

2021–22 season

Following the COVID-19 pandemic causing the cancellation of what would have been their final international junior season, Demougeot and Le Mercier moved up to the senior ranks for the 2021–22 season. They made their Challenger series debut at the 2021 Lombardia Trophy, finishing ninth. Making their Grand Prix debut at the 2021 Internationaux de France, they finished ninth among ten teams. After winning the bronze medal at their first senior French nationals, Demougeot and Le Mercier made their debut at the European Championships, finishing sixteenth.

2022–23 season

Demougeot and Le Mercier began the 2022–23 season at the 2022 Lombardia Trophy, where they finished in fifth place. Given two Grand Prix assignments, they finished fourth at both the 2022 Skate America and the 2022 Grand Prix de France. Speaking after the latter, an enthused Le Mercier said: "if someone would have told us before the Grand Prix season that we would end up with fourth place, we wouldn't have believed it."

After winning the silver medal at the French championships, Demougeot and Le Mercier finished seventh at the 2023 European Championships. Making their World Championship debut in Saitama, Japan, they finished fourteenth.

2023–24 season

At the 2023 Budapest Trophy, Demougeot and Le Mercier won the bronze medal, their first on the Challenger series. Given two Grand Prix assignments, they finished fifth at the 2023 Cup of China. They indicated they would remain in China until their second event, Japan's NHK Trophy. After training at Beijing's Olympic center, they finished fifth at NHK Trophy as well. Demougeot called the extended absence from home "tough but so rewarding at the same time."

Demougeot and Le Mercier won their second consecutive French national silver medal before competing at the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania. Only eighth in the rhythm dance, albeit with a new personal best, they rose to fifth overall with more new personal bests. Demougeot said "the score exceeded our expectations." They went on to win a gold medal at the International Challenge Cup.

At the 2024 World Championships in Montreal, Demougeot and Le Mercier finished eleventh in the rhythm dance with another new personal best score. Thirteenth in the free dance, they remained eleventh overall.

Programs

(with Demougeot)

Season	Rhythm dance / Short dance	Free dance	Exhibition
2023–24	Rapper's Delight Why Can't We Live Together	Clair de lune Waves
2022–23	Fever Somebody That I Used to Know Magalenha	Swell Gnossienne no. 3 Le Di a la Caza Alcance	Rue des trois frères
2021–22	The Way You Make Me Feel Billie Jean	Lonlon (Ravel's Boléro)
2019–20	Your Feet's Too Big How Ya Baby	Habanera Carmen Suite
2018–19	Codigo de Barras	Killing the Name Tab Nothing Else Matters Born to Be Wild (Easy Rider)
2017–18	El Pescador La Colegiala Onda Tropica	Light of the Seven Strange
2016–17	Black Swamp Village Black Swamp Village	Tomay Gaan Shonabo

Competitive highlights

Ice dance with Loïcia Demougeot

Detailed results

Ice dance with Loïcia Demougeot