The ice dance leaders heading into Wednesday’s free dance are a pair of skaters from Team France shrouded in controversy.
French ice dancing duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron posted their world-best score of 89.98 points during Monday’s rhythm dance event, besting U.S. favorites Madison Chock and Evan Bates. During the team event, the American duo posted a score of 91.06 points, higher than their 89.72 points on Monday.
No matter their performance on the ice this week, past controversy has followed the team of Beaudry and Cizeron to Italy. The contention stems from their former skating partners.
Beaudry, who previously skated for Canada, was left in professional limbo when Skate Canada banned her former partner Nikolaj Sorensen for a minimum of six years after allegations of “sexual maltreatment.” The suspension was overturned last June on jurisdictional grounds, but the case is still pending, and the uncertainty of it all left Beaudry in search of a new partner.
She eventually found a partner in Cizeron, who had retired in 2022.
Olympian Evan Bates recalls how nervous he was to propose to his figure skating partner and now wife Madison Chock.
Cizeron won the Olympic gold medal in the Beijing Games with Gabriella Papadakis, who has published a memoir, “So As Not To Disappear,” in which she accused her longtime partner of being demanding, controlling and emotionally manipulative.
Cizeron has contested her claims and called the comments part of a “smear campaign.” Papadakis said last month she lost a commentary role with NBC for the Winter Olympics.
“We’re really creating a bubble between the two of us and our coaches,” Beaudry said, when asked about the potential distractions, “so when we are out there, it’s about the moment we spend together, and the memories that we’ll bring back from that moment.”
Together, Beaudry and Cizeron swept their two Grand Prix events, won the European championships and finished second to Chock and Bates at the Grand Prix Final; Gilles and Poirier were fourth there behind the British team of Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson.
They will have to hold off Chock and Bates, whose free dance is arguably the best in the world.
Skating for ice dance gold
Madison Chock and Evan Bates have some ground to make up in the finale to the ice dance.
Heading into the free dance at 1:30 p.m. ET, the three-time world champions from the United States trail France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron after making a small mistake on their pattern step in the rhythm dance on Monday.
Cizeron is bidding for a second straight gold in ice dance, after winning in 2022 with Gabriella Papadakis.
Ilia Malinin and Alysa Liu spoke after Team USA claimed gold in the Olympic figure skating team event.