The controversial French pairing of Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron edged out Team USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates to take home gold in the 2026 Olympic ice dance competition.
It’s Fournier-Beaudry and Cizeron’s first Olympic gold as a pair, but Cizeron’s second as an individual. He topped the podium in the 2022 Games alongside his retired partner Gabriella Papadakis.
A three-way shootout for the podium
In the end, it was always going to come down to three teams: Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada, Chock and Bates of the United States and Fournier-Beaudry and Cizeron of France. The three previously starred in Netflix’s popular documentary “Glitter and Gold,” highlighting the ups and downs of preparing for an Olympic ice dance campaign.
What was surprising, and indeed telling, was just how much each team’s free dance performance reflected its public perception. Gilles and Poirier’s “Vincent” was singular and heartfelt, full of unique details and personal touches. Chock and Bates’s “Paint it Black” was aggressive, ambitious and focused, and it hit with military precision. Fournier-Beaudry and Cizeron’s “The Whale” was technically proficient and artistically untouchable, but muddy, dark and ultimately difficult to support.
It didn’t matter. The three teams skated in order, put up consecutive personal bests and allowed the chips to fall exactly as they had in the rhythm dance. Gilles and Poirier took third, Chock and Bates took second and Fournier-Beaudry and Cizeron nudged their way into first.