Martin Bidař


Martin Bidař is a Czech pair skater. With partner Anna Dušková, he is the 2016 World Junior champion, 2016 Youth Olympic silver medalist, and 2015 JGP Final silver medalist.

Personal life

Martin Bidař was born on 24 February 1999 in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. He is the son of a figure skating coach, Iveta Bidařová, and the younger brother of a former pair skater, Petr Bidař. His sisters were also figure skaters.

Skating career

Early years

Martin Bidař started learning to skate in 2003. Originally single skaters, he and Anna Dušková began skating together as a pair after their coach, Eva Horklová, suggested the idea. Recalling their beginnings, Dušková stated, "It was quite embarrassing at first, because everybody was skating singles and we had to hold hands. We were so young and shy." In the 2011–2012 season, they competed together on the novice national level.

2013–2014 season: Junior international debut

Dušková/Bidař's ISU Junior Grand Prix debut came in the 2013–2014 season; they finished 8th in September 2013 in Košice, Slovakia, and 6th the next month in Ostrava, Czech Republic. In March 2014, the pair placed 10th at the World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, having ranked 10th in both segments.

2014–2015 season

In 2014–2015, Dušková/Bidař continued on the JGP series, finishing 10th in Estonia and 8th in Germany. They came in 8th at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, after placing 9th in both segments.

2015–2016 season: Gold at World Junior Championships

Although based mainly in the Czech Republic, Dušková/Bidař also spent some time training in Montreal and Sochi in the summer of 2015 and made another visit to Montreal during the competitive season.
Competing in the 2015 JGP series, Dušková/Bidař won a silver medal in August in Linz, Austria, and finished 4th the following month in Riga, Latvia. The results qualified them for the 2015 JGP Final, held in December 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. Ranked third in the short program and second in the free skate, Dušková/Bidař edged out Russia's Amina Atakhanova / Ilia Spiridonov by 0.33 for the silver medal behind Ekaterina Borisova / Dmitry Sopot, who won gold by a margin of 9.53 points. They became the first Czech pair to step on the podium at a JGP Final.
In February 2016, Dušková/Bidař competed in Hamar, Norway, at the Winter Youth Olympics, placing first in the short program, second in the free skate, and second overall with a total score 2.53 less than Borisova/Sopot. Their silver is the Czech Republic's first Youth Olympic medal in figure skating. In March, Dušková/Bidař won gold at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. Ranked first in both segments, they outscored two Russian pairs – silver medalists Anastasia Mishina / Vladislav Mirzoev by 9.22 points and bronze medalists Ekaterina Borisova / Dmitry Sopot by 12.82 points – to become the Czech Republic's first World Junior champions in figure skating. They are also the first pair skaters from outside China, Russia, or the United States to win the competition since 2001. On their future plans, Dušková stated that "there will be less and less singles competitions for me. We will concentrate on pairs."

2016–2017 season: Senior debut

Ahead of the season, Dušková/Bidař spent three weeks training in Montreal before returning to the Czech Republic. Opening their season on the JGP series, the pair won gold at their September event in Ostrava, ahead of Atakhanova/Spiridonov, and then silver the following month in Dresden, behind Mishina/Mirzoev. Later in October, making their senior international debut, they outscored Miriam Ziegler / Severin Kiefer to win the International Cup of Nice. In December, they placed second to Mishina/Mirzoev at the JGP Final in Marseille.
They placed 7th at the 2017 European Championships in Ostrava, and 14th at the 2017 World Championships in Helsinki.

2017–2018 season: Parting ways with Anna Duškova

In September 2017, Dušková/Bidař competed at the Nebelhorn Trophy, the final qualifying opportunity for the 2018 Winter Olympics. The pair placed 9th and earned a spot for the Czech Republic in the pairs' event at the Olympics.
Dušková injured a knee ligament during a warm-up before training in late October and decided later to undergo an operation. As a result, the pair withdrew from their two Grand Prix assignments – the 2017 Cup of China and 2017 Internationaux de France.
Dušková/Bidař returned to competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. They qualified to the free skate by placing 15th in the short program and went on to finish 14th overall. Ranked 13th in the short and 11th in the free, the pair finished 11th at the 2018 World Championships in Milan, Italy. On 27 April 2018, they announced that they had parted ways.

2018–2019 Season: Partnership drama

On September 25, 2018 it was announced that Martin Bidar partnered up with Hana Abrezhevich of Belarus. They finished 18th at the 2019 World Championships. On May 17, 2019 It was announced that they parted ways. On June 26, 2019 it was announced that Martin Bidar partnered up with Elizaveta Zhuk of Russia.

Programs

SeasonShort programFree skatingExhibition
2017–2018

  • LA 40

performed by The Mozart Tango Players
choreo. by Maurizio Margaglio

choreo. by Rostislav Sinicyn
2016–2017

  • LA 40

performed by The Mozart Tango Players
choreo. by Maurizio Margaglio

  • La leyenda del beso
by Raúl di Blasio
by Pérez Prado
  • La leyenda del beso
by Raúl di Blasio

  • Mamboleo
by Mambo Mania
2015–2016

  • Cirque du Soleil
by René Dupéré

  • La leyenda del beso
by Raúl di Blasio
  • Historia de un Amor
by Pérez Prado
  • La leyenda del beso
by Raúl di Blasio

  • Mamboleo
by Mambo Mania
2014–2015

  • Cirque du Soleil
  • Burlesque:
  • * Jungle Berlin
  • by Joseph L. Altruda
    2013–2014
    by Victor Herbert
    • Waltz
    • Italian Street Song
    by Victor Herbert

    • Burlesque:
    • * Jungle Berlin
    by Joseph L. Altruda

    Competitive highlights

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

    With Dušková

    Single skating