At the start of their partnership in early 2025, could they imagine experiencing such a year? In Prague, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron indeed completed a monumental season, their first together, by winning the three major ice dance titles presented to them. “I think we had hoped for it. But to realize it is another thing,” conceded the 33-year-old skater.
Flashback one year: in March 2025, Guillaume Cizeron, retired since the painful end of his partnership with Gabriella Papadakis, announces to everyone’s surprise that he is returning to competition with a new partner, Canadian Laurence Fournier Beaudry, who is also his best friend in the city.
A crazy year The gamble seemed completely crazy since the Milan Cortina Olympics, where they aim for gold, are on the horizon just one year later. Resuming intensive training, designing programs, facing the judges – everything falls into place for the duo, engaged in a mad race against time.
In record time, they create two particularly ambitious programs, demanding voguing for the rhythm dance and an intense, deep dive into a poetic universe for the free dance. “A program of tantalizing beauty, very close to our essence,” Cizeron believes.
And the magic happens: from the first Grand Prix events, they set the bar very high and surprise with the artistic and technical levels as well as their synergy after just a few months of teamwork. “Normally, it takes about fifteen years to reach this level of skating and unity and synchronization,” their coach Romain Haguenauer analyzed in the wake of their Olympic gold.
“Guardian angel” But the main characters were not as surprised. “We knew what we were capable of,” Guillaume Cizeron reassured. “I think I must have a guardian angel. Destiny put Laurence on my path. It was a great coincidence, probably, that my best friend is also the best skater in the world. I think it was quite obvious to many people who knew us intimately.”
At 31, the Frenchman now has two Olympic crowns and six world titles, while the Canadian, naturalized French for the Games, achieved her first international victories at 33 this year.
After their world championship win, the duo savored this “suspended moment,” which is one of those that skaters hope to experience in their careers, Cizeron affirmed.
“The beginning of the story?” Such a precious moment that calls for more? “I have no idea what we will decide. Everything in its own time. We have to wait for it to mature inside, to be able to share it afterward. These are conflicting feelings: we love what we do and at the same time, there are a lot of sacrifices. When the time comes, we must feel it and respect it.”
At the announcement of their partnership, the duo openly discussed the idea of continuing until the 2030 Olympics in France. “I’m not going to speak for them,” declared Romain Haguenauer. “But it’s no secret, initially when they decided to skate together, the goal was to go until (2030). They will choose, they will see their desires. I’m not announcing that they will continue, we’ll see. But it’s a first season, and I think they can go very far. For me, it’s the beginning of the story.”
