2026 Winter Olympics: France’s Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry Snatch Ice Dancing Gold

Published on: February 11, 2026 | Event: Ice Dancing Free Skate | Venue: Milano Ice Skating Arena, Italy

In a wide ranging show of artistry and resilience, the brand new French ice dance duo of Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry clinched the Olympic gold medal on the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, Italy. Their advertising on February 11, 2026, got here after a trifling twelve months of partnership, overcoming vital off-ice turbulence to defeat the reigning international champions from the United States. This complete research explores their historical win, the important thing components in the back of their progress, and the wider implications for the game.

Introduction: A Golden Debut Against All Odds

The ice dancing festival on the 2026 Winter Olympics shall be remembered for probably the most exceptional tales in contemporary Winter Games historical past. Guillaume Cizeron, a reigning Olympic champion in the hunt for a 2d name with a brand new spouse, and Laurence Fournier Beaudry, a Canadian-born skater who simplest not too long ago changed into a French citizen, completed the apparently unimaginable. They stood atop the rostrum lower than a yr after forming their partnership, outperforming seasoned groups in one of the most game’s maximum technical and creative disciplines. Their gold medal functionality, set to the poignant soundtrack of the movie The Whale, was once now not only a athletic triumph however a story of perseverance, remodeling private {and professional} demanding situations right into a second of Olympic glory.

Key Points: The Path to Olympic Gold

Several essential components outlined the adventure and ultimate functionality of Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry:

• Lightning-Fast Partnership: The duo started coaching in combination in March 2025, giving them below a yr to construct the intricate synchronicity required for elite ice dancing.
• Overcoming Off-Ice Turmoil: Their preparation was once clouded by way of a public controversy involving Cizeron’s former spouse, Gabriella Papadakis, who revealed a essential memoir simply weeks ahead of the Games.
• Strategic Program Choice: Their loose dance to the ranking of The Whale was once extensively praised for its emotional intensity and strong choreography, contrasting with their opponents’ fiery flamenco regimen.
• Narrow Margin, Decisive Win: They entered the loose dance with a slender 0.46-point lead and prolonged it to a last advertising margin of one.43 issues over america’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates.
• Citizenship Milestone: Fournier Beaudry gained her French citizenship in November 2025, a an important step for Olympic eligibility after her earlier spouse confronted a suspension.

Background: Two Careers, One New Beginning

The Legacy of Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis

To perceive the magnitude of Cizeron’s business model, one will have to take a look at his earlier partnership. With Gabriella Papadakis, Cizeron ruled ice dancing for just about a decade. They had been five-time international champions (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022) and the gold medalists on the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Their partnership was once famend for its seamless methodology, leading edge methods, and palpable on-ice chemistry. Their retirement after the 2022 World Championships marked the top of an technology. Cizeron’s determination to group up with Fournier Beaudry was once extremely expected but in addition fraught with the stress of following this type of adorned legacy.

Laurence Fournier Beaudry’s Pivot Point

Laurence Fournier Beaudry, 33, was once a longtime competitor for Canada together with her former spouse, Nikolaj Sørensen. The pair had been a couple of Canadian nationwide medalists and had competed on the 2022 Winter Olympics. However, Sørensen was once suspended in 2023 amid an investigation into ancient sexual abuse allegations relationship again to 2012 in Canada (allegations he denies). With her profession in limbo and her partnership dissolved, Fournier Beaudry changed into a loose agent. Her shut friendship with Cizeron, cast thru years of coaching in the similar Montreal skating circle, supplied a herbal and ambitious resolution: a brand new partnership with a recent get started in a brand new nation.

The Montreal Training Hub

Both skaters skilled in Montreal, Quebec, a cross-border epicenter for ice dance below coaches like Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon. This shared coaching base was once a vital benefit, letting them start development their partnership in a well-known atmosphere with knowledgeable plan. Their coaching associates integrated their long term opponents, Chock and Bates, making a dynamic of each camaraderie and intense festival.

Analysis: The Road to the Podium in Milan

The Rhythm Dance: Establishing a Foothold

The ice dance festival in Milan consisted of 2 segments: the rhythm dance (RD) and the loose dance (FD). In the rhythm dance, Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry delivered a blank, assured functionality to song from the musical Moulin Rouge!. Their execution earned them a ranking that positioned them simply 0.46 issues in the back of the leaders, Chock and Bates. This slim deficit was once now not a setback however a testomony to their rapid aggressive viability. Their technical parts—development dances, lifts, and twizzles—had been assessed with excessive grades of execution (GOEs), indicating sturdy balance and precision for a brand new group.

The Free Dance: The Masterpiece and The Moment

Skating final within the ultimate staff, the French duo had the good thing about figuring out the ranking they had to beat. They carried out their loose dance, “The Whale,” a program choreographed to the movie’s intense, emotional ranking by way of Rob Simonsen. The program was once a story of fight and redemption, topics that resonated deeply with their very own adventure. Their functionality was once characterised by way of:

• Powerful Emotional Connection: Judges and audiences famous the palpable storytelling and dramatic interpretation, incomes excessive program part rankings (PCS) for functionality and interpretation.
• Technical Precision: They accomplished their set of required parts—together with a difficult curve carry, sequential twizzles, and a dance spin—with minimum error, securing sure GOEs around the board.
• Artistic Risk: Choosing a modern, dramatic movie ranking over a extra conventional or rhythmic selection was once a calculated chance that paid off, showcasing their versatility and intensity as artists.

Their ultimate loose dance ranking was once enough to overhaul the Americans, who carried out a colourful flamenco to “Paint It Black” however gained fairly decrease GOEs on some technical parts. The ultimate blended ranking noticed France end 1.43 issues transparent, a decisive margin within the frequently tightly contested game of ice dancing.

The Controversy: A Shadow Lifted

Just 3 weeks ahead of the outlet rite, the group confronted a vital distraction. Gabriella Papadakis revealed a e book through which she described her former partnership with Cizeron as controlling and emotionally tricky. Cizeron publicly denounced the e book as “defamatory” and mentioned he was once pursuing felony motion. This media hurricane threatened to destabilize the brand new group’s focal point. Their skill to compartmentalize this off-ice noise and ship two pristine performances below Olympic stress is a testomony to their psychological fortitude {and professional} willpower. The gold medal served as an impressive, public reaction, remodeling a possible weak spot right into a tale of triumph.

Practical Advice: Lessons from an Olympic Triumph

While each and every athletic adventure is exclusive, the progress of Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry gives transferable insights for athletes, groups, and execs in high-pressure fields:

1. Embrace a Shared Vision and “Why”

Fournier Beaudry mentioned that “on a daily basis in coaching with Guillaume was once a paranormal second.” This highlights the significance of discovering pleasure and goal within the day by day grind. For a brand new partnership, defining a transparent, shared objective—of their case, Olympic gold—and discovering authentic enjoyment within the collaborative procedure is foundational. This intrinsic motivation buffers towards exterior pressures.

2. Leverage Existing Foundations

They didn’t get started from scratch. Their shared coaching atmosphere, training group, and pre-existing friendship supplied a an important base of believe and working out. When forming a brand new group or mission, search connections and environments the place current relationships and techniques can boost up integration and studying.

3. Master the Art of Compartmentalization

The skill to put aside distractions—be they felony disputes, media scrutiny, or private doubts—is a essential psychological talent. Developing pre-performance routines and focal point methods that anchor consideration to the current activity (the following part, your next step) is very important for acting below stress.

4. Strategic Program Development

Their collection of “The Whale” was once now not random. It was once a program that maximized their strengths: dramatic expression, mature artistry, and strong musicality. In any aggressive undertaking, settling on equipment, types, or methods that authentically spotlight distinctive strengths is more practical than just chasing patterns or mimicking opponents.

5. Navigate Administrative Hurdles Early

Fournier Beaudry’s citizenship procedure was once a essential trail merchandise. Proactively addressing eligibility, felony, and bureaucratic necessities lengthy ahead of the general festival prevents last-minute crises. This applies to the whole lot from sports activities eligibility to enterprise licensing or visa standing.

FAQ: Common Questions About the Victory

Q: How is it imaginable to win an Olympic gold medal in ice dancing after just one yr of partnership?

A: While unheard of on the Olympic degree, their progress was once constructed on a number of accelerants: 1) Both had been elite, skilled athletes on the height in their careers with a deep working out of the game’s technical and creative calls for. 2) They skilled in combination day by day in a world-class facility with best coaches. 3) They shared a pre-existing friendship and coaching tradition, greatly decreasing the time had to construct believe and on-ice communique. 4) They had been extremely motivated by way of the original alternative itself.

Q: What was once the character of the talk involving Papadakis’s e book?

A: In the memoir, Gabriella Papadakis, Cizeron’s former spouse and Olympic co-champion, described their long-term partnership as being marked by way of his controlling conduct and her next lack of autonomy. Cizeron replied by way of calling the allegations false and defamatory, pointing out he was once pursuing felony therapies. The e book’s liberate weeks ahead of the Olympics created a significant media distraction for the brand new French group.

Q: Why was once Laurence Fournier Beaudry ready to compete for France?

A: International skating union (ISU) regulations require skaters to carry citizenship of the rustic they constitute and frequently have a ready length after a rustic alternate. Fournier Beaudry, at first Canadian, acquired French citizenship in November 2025. Her eligibility was once additional secured as a result of her earlier partnership with Nikolaj Sørensen ended because of his suspension (associated with ancient abuse allegations), which allowed her to hunt a brand new partnership with no standard ready length penalty.

Q: What had been the general rankings?

A: The ultimate blended rankings had been: 1. France (Cizeron/Beaudry): 232.66 issues. 2. USA (Chock/Bates): 231.23 issues. 3. Canada (Gilles/Poirier): 224.15 issues. (Note: Specific section rankings (RD/FD) are derived from the reported 0.46-point RD lead and 1.43-point ultimate margin).

Q: Is there any felony end result from the Papadakis e book controversy?

A: As of the belief of the Olympics, no public felony judgment or agreement has been reported. Cizeron’s remark indicated he had initiated felony complaints for defamation. The Olympians’ focal point on their game allowed the contest effects to overshadow the felony dispute within the public narrative in their advertising.

Conclusion: Redefining Possibility in Ice Dancing

The gold medal advertising of Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry transcends a easy podium end. It is a case find out about in athletic adaptation, mental resilience, and the facility of a recent get started. They defied standard timelines, proving that with elite skill, knowledgeable training, and an unbreakable bond, a brand new partnership can achieve absolutely the pinnacle of game in an impossibly few minutes. Their win additionally alerts a shift within the ice dancing panorama, demonstrating that established dynasties can also be challenged by way of leading edge new groups. While the felony echoes of the previous would possibly linger, their Olympic second in Milan is a definitive remark: they’re champions in their very own proper, having authored probably the most compelling and swift progress tales in Winter Olympics historical past. The game will definitely watch with nice passion as they now input a brand new quadrennial cycle because the group to overcome.