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French Olympians Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron are fending off criticism surrounding their Winter Games gold medal.
A French judge’s controversial decision gave the French duo an advantage over Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates. French judge Jézabel Dabouis scored Beaudry and Cizeron nearly eight points more than Chock and Bates, who ultimately settled for silver. Without Dabouis’ scores, the Americans would have deserved first place on the podium.
As criticism mounted, Beaudry and Cizeron joined the growing chorus to question the way points were awarded.
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Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France skate after receiving their medals during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Milan Ice Rink on February 11, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Amber Searls/Imagn Images)
The French duo said they believed they deserved a higher score during their gold medal run in Milan Cortina. Beaudry and Cizeron maintained that their routine was more technically demanding than that of the American team.
“We aimed to win by five to seven points, but we made some mistakes which cost us three or four points,” Cizeron told the “Super Moscato Show on RMC”.
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“Winning the gold medal after just one year of working together is something of an achievement.”
“It’s a mental battle to keep going and connect the pieces together, to get back into it and aim for the points,” Cizeron added. “You have to get rid of these negative thoughts that come very quickly, and that’s where twenty years of experience comes into play.”
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of Team France compete in the figure skating ice dance on day five of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at the Milan Ice Rink on February 11, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Luo Yunfei/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
Cizeron concluded by emphasizing what he and Beaudry rely on when moments like this arise. “I think our friendship… allowed us to overcome all that pressure.”
The International Skating Union supported the score.
“It is normal that there is a range of scores awarded by different judges on a panel and a number of mechanisms are used to mitigate these variations,” the ISU said, adding that it had “full confidence in the scores awarded and remains fully committed to fairness”.
Silver medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States, gold medalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France and bronze medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada pose during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games at the Milan Ice Rink on February 11, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Amber Searls/Imagn Images)
U.S. Figure Skating declined to appeal the decision. However, Team USA’s Chock called for clearer scoring standards and stricter oversight of judges.
“Any time the public is confused by the results, it does our sport a disservice,” the American ice dancer said. “I think it’s hard to build fan loyalty when it’s hard to understand what’s going on on the ice… People need to understand what they’re rooting for and be able to have confidence in the sport they’re supporting.”
“We know how we felt on center ice after we skated. We felt like we had the best performance possible. It was our Olympic moment. It felt like a winning skate for us, and that’s what we’re going to hold on to.
“I think it’s important for the skaters as well, that the judges are scrutinized and scrutinized to make sure that they’re also giving their best performance, because there’s a lot at stake for the skaters when they’re giving their best, and we deserve for the judges to give us their best as well and for it to be a fair and level playing field.”
