Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron seemed unfazed by the outrage over their victory at the 2026 Winter Olympics, while American fans continue to scrutinize their controversial win.
The French ice dance champions proudly walked away from the ice dance competition with gold medals around their necks, forcing US favorites Madison Chock and Evan Bates to settle for silver.
Fuming fans claimed the pair appeared smug about their win during their recent interview.
French ice dance champions seem unfazed about their controversial win at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Image credits: guillaume_cizeron
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron claimed they could have earned more points during their ice dance competition at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics earlier this month.
Cizeron admitted to making mistakes during the routine but seemed unbothered by the outrage among American fans.
Image credits: Tim Clayton/Getty Images
“We had the goal of winning by five to seven points, but we made a few mistakes that cost us three or four points,” he said last week on the French radio show, the Super Moscato Show on RMC.
“Winning the gold after just one year of working together, that’s kind of an achievement,” he added.
His partner Fournier Beaudry defended him, saying: “He didn’t really make a mistake, he just decided to be creative in the moment.”
Guillaume Cizeron admitted to making mistakes on the ice during their gold-winning performance
Image credits: isufigureskating
Cizeron went on to talk about the need to “cut off” negative thoughts to be in the right headspace during a performance.
“It’s a mental battle to keep going and link the elements together, to get back into it and go for the points,” the Olympic gold-medalist said.
“You have to cut off those negative thoughts that come in very quickly, and that’s where twenty years of experience come into play,” he continued.
Cizeron also praised his partnership with Fournier Beaudry, which is less than a year old.
“I think that our friendship … allowed us to overcome all this pressure,” he said.
The Olympic gold-medalists paired up last year after being embroiled in their won separate controversies
Image credits: RMCSport
The French ice dancers paired up after Fournier Beaudry’s ex-boyfriend and former skating partner, Nikolaj Sørensen, received a minimum six-year ban in 2024 after facing accusations of s**ually as**ulting an American figure skating coach and former skater in 2012.
Fournier Beaudry defended him on different occasions, and the suspension was overturned over a technicality last June.
Image credits: ninon_bardel
Cizeron, on the other hand, was also accused by his former partner, Gabriella Papadakis, of being “controlling” and “demanding.”
He denied the allegations and reverse-accused Papadakis of sharing false and defamatory claims as part of a “smear campaign.”
After both Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry were left partner-less, they joined hands and announced their professional pairing in March, 2025.
Fans saw Chock and Bates’ performance as clean, while their French rivals made multiple mistakes on the ice
Image credits: RMCSport
Despite being a newly minted pair, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron were crowned gold medalists at the Olympics this month.
Their scores were heavily scrutinized after they narrowly beat the married American duo, Madison Chock and Evan Bates.
The final scores sparked outrage after it was found that one French judge, Jezabel Dabouis, scored her country’s skaters almost eight points more than the US pair.
Image credits: teamusa
Moreover, American fans believed Chock and Bates’ performance was cleaner and more polished. Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron, on the other hand, had multiple mistakes in their routine.
Yet, the French duo received a score of 135.64, while their American rivals scored 134.67.
Following their silver-medal finish, Chock expressed disappointment in the results and said it was important for judges to be “vetted” before the competition.
“I think it would definitely be helpful if it’s more understandable for the viewers to see more transparent judging and understand what’s really going on,” she previously told CBS News.
Chock expressed disappointment and said judges should be “vetted” beforehand
Image credits: evan_bates
“It’s also important for the skaters that the judges be vetted and reviewed and that they are also putting out their best performance,” she went on to say.
The United States Figure Skating (USFS) had a 24-hour window to appeal the results but did not file an inquiry by the February 12 deadline.
After abstaining from an appeal, the CEO of United States Figure Skating, Matt Farrell, released a statement and said they had “a lot of thoughtful, and at times emotional, discussion about the ice dance competition in Milan.”
He also said they would be working with Chock and Evan Bates to figure out “the best way to support them and the future of the sport.”
Netizens didn’t hold back on the snark, branding Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron’s responses as “Typical French.”
“Of course they had a cocky response, they’re French,” one said, while another quipped, “Thank the French judge for cheating for you.”
One chimed in saying, “The French… cocky?? Yep, that totally tracks lol.”
“The French pair have a bad energy,” another wrote. “And when the US pair was interviewed and the female walk taking, the French guy picked up to drink his water bottle.”
“So the French judge gave a 8+ to the French performers, that doesn’t sound like favoritism,” one said.
“I wouldn’t wanna win a competition if it was not by merit. The French team will always know there was a controversy, and the judge was partial to them,” said yet another. “Not a way to win.”
“They look like they got away with cheating,” read one comment online
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