Long ReadThe French duo is in the lead going into the free dance finale in Milan on Wednesday. The improbable accomplishment of a gold medal is within reach for a partnership that only formed one drama-filled year ago. 

Guillaume Cizeron’s announcement built up the suspense for his fans: “A new chapter is about to begin. I can’t wait to tell you more, tomorrow at 2 pm,” he wrote on social media on March 1, 2025. The next day, at the promised time, in another post, the ice dancer addressed his fans, as if he were revealing the next season of a hit television series. First came the photo, depicting a duo dressed in white, posing for the camera with piercing gazes. Cizeron was no longer accompanied by Gabriella Papadakis, with whom he had won five world titles and an Olympic gold medal in Beijing in 2022, but rather stood beside Laurence Fournier Beaudry, a 33-year-old Québécois skater, his best friend. Then came the message itself, promising the union of “two stars destined to shine under the same sky.” Their goal: the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, with its ice dance events scheduled for Monday, February 9, and Wednesday, February 11. 

The news instantly excited the public and stirred up the competition. With no shared experience, no program and no French passport for Fournier Beaudry, the pair had embarked on an ambitious race against time, just 10 months before the Olympic deadline. Nevertheless, Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry were far from a hastily assembled duo. They had known each other since their teenage years. Their family photo albums showed them training together, competing together – but always in parallel, each with a different partner.

It was during a dinner in Montreal, Canada, in November 2024 that Cizeron suggested what he now calls a “somewhat crazy” project. Having lived in Canada since the summer of 2014, he had not competed in any skating events since his victory at the 2022 World Championships with Papadakis, his longtime partner. The end of their collaboration would be officially announced in a press release on December 3, 2024. At just 30, Cizeron had struggled to hide his frustration at no longer being in the limelight on the ice, despite participating in galas and starting his career as a coach. With the success of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, the call to return to competitions was simply too strong.