Ex-Canada skater Fournier Beaudry, partner Cizeron focused on Olympic ice dance gold

MILAN – Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron arrived at the Milan Cortina Olympic Games with a messy backstory.

The French ice dance team sees what lies ahead as a clean slate.

“We started a new chapter a year ago,” said Cizeron, sitting next to Fournier Beaudry on a couch inside the Olympic Village on Thursday evening. “Neither of us would have thought that we would be here today, so everything is like a bonus for us.”

Fournier Beaudry and reigning Olympic champion Cizeron have risen to gold-medal contention at a lightning-quick pace since announcing their partnership 11 months ago. The move stunned the skating world — and has not been without controversy.

A former Canadian skater, Fournier Beaudry is the girlfriend and ex-skating partner of Nikolaj Sørensen, whom she has publicly defended since he was accused of sexual assault in a 2012 case that came to light in January 2024. 

Sørensen was suspended for six years by Skate Canada in October 2024. The ban was later overturned on jurisdictional grounds but remains under appeal. He has denied the allegation, which has not been tested in court.

Cizeron, meanwhile, was described by former partner Gabriella Papadakis — with whom he won gold at the 2022 Beijing Games — as being “controlling, demanding and critical” in her tell-all book “So as Not to Disappear,” released in January. He then lashed out at the claims in a statement, calling it a “smear campaign.”

Some of Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry’s story was explored in the Netflix docuseries “Glitter & Gold: Ice Dancing,” in which former United States skater and media personality Adam Rippon said, “There is some sinister energy around the partnership.”

Asked about the prospect of being portrayed as villains at the Olympic Games, Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry made it clear they’re determined to avoid the controversy, doing their best to keep it out of the discussion.

“Since the start, a year ago, we’ve been very focused on having a lot of fun on the ice and bringing as much gratefulness as we can to our skating,” said Cizeron, who also declined to rehash his feelings about Papadakis’ book before a group of mostly French reporters.

“We love skating and we love skating together, and this is what we’re focusing on.”

Their Olympic journey begins Friday at Milano Ice Skating Arena in the team event rhythm dance.

But Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron have their sights set on next Monday’s rhythm dance and Wednesday’s free dance in the individual competition, where they are expected to challenge three-time reigning world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates for gold.

Explaining their remarkably quick rise in an ice dance discipline that typically demands years of development as partners, Fournier Beaudry pointed to shared curiosity.

“We both have a great curiosity about pushing our limits, and the curiosity to rediscover ourselves with each other,” said the 32-year-old from Montreal. “That’s what allowed us to progress so quickly, and our friendship is what makes us appreciate the moments on the ice and off the ice.”

Fournier Beaudry — who gained French citizenship in November — and Cizeron have made a mark with their speed and technical skill on the ice, winning the European Championships with a season-high score of 222.43, a little more than two points ahead of the Americans’ top numbers.

So do they view themselves as favourites?

“We have our chances, we know we can perform,” Cizeron said. “I think that we’ll be very happy if we can deliver the performances that we know we can deliver.”

“It’s still high-level sport, so we never know what’s going to happen that day,” he added. “It’s a sport where you’re really on a fine line. Mistakes happen very quickly, so you can’t make mistakes, us like our competitors, and that’s what makes the excitement of the moment.”

Though Cizeron often says they live in their own bubble, he and Fournier Beaudry were one of three teams followed behind the scenes in the Netflix documentary, offering viewers a window into their lives beyond competition.

“People see a lot of what we do in competitions, which is normal, and we wanted to show the preparation, the challenges, a little of the life that we lead, a little bit in the shadows, outside of competition,” he said. “I think it was quite successful.”

In one scene, Fournier Beaudry breaks down as she describes feeling like “collateral damage” amid Sørensen’s case.

“This was extremely difficult because it was not only about skating, it was about my integrity, it was about his integrity,” she says in the documentary. “I know my boyfriend 100 per cent. I know him.”

Speaking more broadly about the three-part series Thursday, Fournier Beaudry said it allows fans to see competitors as people, not just performers.

“We are human beings behind this, so it was really a nice project to do,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2026.