Bourez was born on the island of
Rurutu in the
Tuamotus Islands in French Polynesia and started surfing at age 13. European champion in 2006, Michel entered the ASP World Tour in 2009. His best results on the World Tour came in 2014, with a fifth place in the overall classification, having won twice during the year; at Margaret River Pro 2014 and
Rio de Janeiro and third place in
Fiji Pro. His 2015 season was hampered by a severe injury in May, when doing a free surf session at
Teahupoo. A fractured hand and cervical vertebra forced him out of the
Rio and
Fiji events. In 2016, he earned his third career victory at the
Billabong Pipeline Masters, final event of the 2016 World Tour, finishing sixth overall. He qualified to represent France at the
debut of surfing at the
2020 Summer Olympics. == Career and results ==