MILAN— French ice dancers Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry have taken control of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics ice dance event, leading after the rhythm dance with 90.18 points, their best-ever international score .
Skating to Madonna’s “Vogue,” the newly formed pair edged out USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates (89.72), while Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (86.18) sit third heading into the free dance .
Formed in 2025, the partnership marks Cizeron’s return after Olympic gold in 2022 with Gabriella Papadakis, and Fournier Beaudry’s shift to France after receiving French citizenship to compete at these Games .
Despite their rising dominance, their Olympic run is shadowed by controversy. Fournier Beaudry’s former partner Nikolaj Sørensen was previously suspended over a sexual assault allegation (later overturned), while Papadakis has publicly accused Cizeron of being controlling, claims he has called a “smear campaign” .
Retired U.S. skater Adam Rippon described the duo’s backstory as carrying “sinister energy” in the Netflix series Glitter & Gold, intensifying debate around their rise .
Cizeron, however, insists their focus remains on performance:
“We love skating together — that’s what we’re focusing on,” he said via Reuters .
With the free dance scheduled next, Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry stand on the brink of Olympic glory — skating not just for gold, but under the weight of public scrutiny and polarizing narratives.
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