MILAN, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Guillaume Cizeron heads into the Milano Cortina Games chasing a second Olympic ice dancing title, attempting a rare late-career reinvention after ending the sport’s most dominant duo of the past decade and starting again with a new partner.
Cizeron, a five-time world champion with former partner Gabriella Papadakis, won the 2026 European title with Laurence Fournier Beaudry on 222.43 points after scoring 135.50 in the free dance and 86.93 in the rhythm dance.
The numbers established the newly formed pair as credible Olympic contenders less than a year after first skating together internationally.
For more than 10 years, Cizeron’s career was defined by his partnership with Papadakis, with the pair winning Olympic gold in 2022, silver in 2018 and dominating world championships and European events with record scores and technical consistency.
Their competitive era ended after a post-Beijing pause and eventual separation, leaving Cizeron to decide whether to retire at the peak of his career or attempt to return with a new partner in a discipline built on long-term chemistry and repetition.
The decision to return in 2025 with Fournier Beaudry — an experienced skater who had previously competed for Denmark and Canada — was widely viewed as a high-risk move. In ice dance, new pairings often take multiple Olympic cycles to challenge for major titles.
"I had nothing to lose and a deep desire to create something new," Cizeron said.
Early results showed they were to be taken seriously.
Within months, the pair were posting competitive international scores and reaching major championship podiums, culminating in their European title weeks before the Olympics and second place behind Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates in the ISU Grand Prix Final last December.
The comeback has also unfolded alongside public tensions following criticism of Cizeron in his former partner’s memoir, which he has rejected, saying he disputes the characterisation and has taken legal advice.
While the dispute has drawn attention across the skating world, Cizeron has publicly framed his focus as performance-driven, emphasising results and competitive preparation heading into the Olympics.
On the ice, the new partnership blends Cizeron’s edge control and glide — widely considered among the best in the sport — with Fournier Beaudry’s performance projection and speed, producing programs designed to maximise component scores while remaining technically conservative enough to avoid costly deductions.
A second Olympic gold would place Cizeron among the most successful ice dancers in Olympic history.
Unlike many champions who retire shortly after Olympic success, Cizeron chose a full reset — new partner, new choreography base, new competitive timeline — while still competing against long-established rival teams.
Whether the gamble delivers another Olympic title will depend on execution margins measured in tenths of points. But entering Milano Cortina, the European title confirmed the partnership has moved from experiment to genuine medal threat.
(Reporting by Julien PretotEditing by Toby Davis)
