OLYMPICS: Figure Skating-Cizeron in shock after winning second ice dance gold with new partner

MILAN – France’s Guillaume Cizeron said he was still in shock after reclaiming Olympic ice dance gold in Milan on Wednesday with new partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry, less than a year after the pair teamed up.

Fournier Beaudry, 33, a Canadian-born skater who received her French citizenship just in time for the Games, joined Cizeron last March in a last-minute collaboration.

“Oh my God, we’re still in shock,” Cizeron said.

“Looking back a year ago when we started dreaming of this, it’s incredible what we’ve been through—the work, the love we’ve put into training and skating, and the support we’ve had along the way. We couldn’t be more grateful and proud.”

Cizeron, 31, became the first ice dancer to win back-to-back Olympic titles with two different partners. He previously won gold at the Beijing Games with Gabriella Papadakis.

In Milan, the Cizeron-Fournier Beaudry duo scored 225.82 points, edging out Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates (224.39) to complete a whirlwind rise from first try-out to Olympic champions.

Fournier Beaudry praised Cizeron’s steadiness when it mattered most.

“He’s the best. That’s what I kept telling myself when I felt nervous,” she said. “The confidence he brought me throughout the season is probably one of the reasons we achieved what we did today.”

Cizeron said skating with heart over perfection helped them tip the balance against their U.S. rivals.

“We knew we hadn’t delivered a perfect performance, but tonight our focus was really to skate with our hearts,” Cizeron said. “The pressure is enormous in this kind of competition. We gave the best performance we were capable of and tried to give it our all.”

Despite being together for less than a year, the pair’s skating has quickly developed a signature identity—expressive, elegant, and steeped in French artistry.

Their free dance to the soundtrack of The Whale showcased that aesthetic, combining emotional depth with technical precision.

“This choreography is like our baby. We love it so much,” Cizeron said. “We loved creating it, rehearsing it, and performing it. We’ll be sad when we stop performing it because it’s very special to our hearts.”

The duo described the emotional rollercoaster of waiting for their scores.

“When we finished the performance and were waiting for the scores, it was stressful,” Fournier Beaudry said. “But now we’re on cloud nine—it’s hard to believe.”

The pair did not want to speculate on their next steps.

“This was our main goal, so it’s hard to say what the future holds,” Cizeron said.

-Reporting by Agnieszka Flak; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters