French Pair Capture Ice Dance Gold at Milano-Cortina 2026

Guillaume Cizeron made Olympic history on Wednesday night (11 February) as he and partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry won ice dance gold at the Winter Games in Milano-Cortina, edging out the United States in a razor-tight finish.

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The French pair totalled 225.82 points inside a near-capacity Milano Ice Skating Arena, finishing just ahead of Madison Chock and Evan Bates (224.39). Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier claimed bronze with 217.74.

Cizeron Makes History With Second Olympic Partner

What makes the result remarkable is how quickly it came together. A year ago, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron had yet to make their partnership public. On Olympic ice, they delivered under immense pressure to secure France’s second straight gold in the discipline.

“We still have a hard time believing it,” Fournier Beaudry said. “It just feels so amazing to just look back at where we started and where we are now and everything we accomplished together this year. We’re living the dream right now.”

For Cizeron, it is a second consecutive Olympic title in ice dance after winning at Beijing 2022 with former partner Gabriella Papadakis. He becomes the first ice dancer to claim Olympic gold in the discipline with two different partners.

Aiming for Perfection

France entered the free dance with a slim 0.46-point advantage. Skating to music from The Whale, the duo showcased their trademark fluid, avant-garde style, though both admitted to feeling the weight of the moment.

“I think we both had this thing that we want to be perfect,” Cizeron said. “We are extreme perfectionists, but I think one phrase that I kept repeating to myself is ‘it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be us, and it has to be true.’ I feel that’s what got me through, even with the little imperfections.”

Chock and Bates, competing at their fourth Games together, settled for silver despite a dominant Olympic cycle that included three straight world titles.