Controversial French Ice Dancers Cizeron And Fournier Beaudry Dominate World Rhythm Dance

March 27, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

France's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron perform during the Ice Dance rhythm dance skating program of the 2026 ISU Figure Skating World Championships in Prague on March 27, 2026. (Photo by Michal Cizek / AFP via Getty Images)

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A month after winning a controversial Olympic gold in Milan-Cortina over Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, French Ice Dance pair Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry skated back to the top on Friday.

The pair won the rhythm dance in Prague, the first of two disciplines in the Ice Dance competition at the 2026 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. On Saturday, they will skate for their first world title as a pair.

If the French finish on top in Saturday’s free dance, they will become the first Ice Dance pair to win a world (and Olympic title) in their season’s debut as a partnership.

For veteran Cizeron, a win would clinch his unprecedented sixth world title. The Frenchman won five world championship titles with his former Ice Dance partner, retired skater Gabrielle Papadakis.

Olympic bronze medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada finished a distant second on Friday and seek their fifth world medal. British pair, Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, rebounded from Olympic disappointment to finish third.

With three-time World Champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates withdrawing from competition, Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik looked to defend the storied legacy of American Ice Dancing. The duo succeeded, posting a personal best to finish fourth heading into the free dance.

All three American teams finished in the top 20, qualifying for the free dance.

Americans Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko delivered a season’s best (80.89) in their fourth world championship appearance, securing a top-ten finish, while Caroline Green and Michael Parsons finished 13th.

Ice Dance Rhythm Dance Results (Top 10)

Laurence Fournier Beaudry & Guillaume Cizeron (France): 92.74
Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier (Canada): 86.45
Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson (Great Britain): 85.09
Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik (United States): 84.21
Evgenia Lopareva & Geoffrey Brissaud (France): 83.07
Olivia Smart & Tim Dieck (Spain): 81.06
Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko (United States): 80.89
Marjorie Lajoie & Zachary Lagha (Canada): 80.81
Allison Reed & Saulius Ambrulevicius (Lithuania): 79.66
Diana Davis & Gleb Smolkin (Georgia): 79.34

The Prague Play-by-Play

Due to their relative newness as a competitive team, Olympic Champions Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry skated in the earlier groups on Friday. Despite the apparent disadvantage – as scores often build in the later groups – the pair delivered a personal best to set the standard early on in Prague.

Looking sharper than their short program performance from Milan-Cortina, the duo skated dynamically to Madonna’s “Vogue," earning a personal-best 92.74. Showcasing “epic” skating skills, the pair’s score marked a nearly 3-point improvement from their golden result in February.

While they would have hours to wait for Friday’s competition to conclude, the score would be extremely difficult to beat.

Closing the competition with many of the top contenders, the final group took the ice in Prague while Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry waited in the winner’s circle.

After finishing an impressive fifth-place in their 2026 Olympic debut, Americans Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik entered their first world championship as dark-horse contenders for the podium.

Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik from the United States perform during the ice dance rhythm dance at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

The duo’s complex twizzles drew roars of approval from the Czech crowd, completing their “high energy” rhythm dance for a personal-best 84.21 from the judging panel.

2026 Olympic bronze medalists Paul Poirier and Piper Gilles skated next. In Poirier’s 16th world championship appearance, the Canadians hoped to convert their four world medals (two silver, two bronze) into an elusive gold.

In a dynamic, complex program, the pair skated to a crowd-favorite variation of “I’m Too Sexy," earning a season’s best 86.45 for second place behind the French.

Reigning world bronze medalists Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (Great Britain) skated next, performing to an appropriately themed Spice Girls mashup. After uncharacteristic bogged down their scores in Milan-Cortina, the pair looked to return to the podium on the world stage.

The Brits earned an 85.09, jumping into third-place with one team to skate.

France’s Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud closed the rhythm dance competition on Friday. The duo finished eighth in Milan-Cortina and looked to improve here in Prague. Their effort was successful, nabbing fifth place after the rhythm dance with a score of 83.07.

How To Watch The Free Dance

The skaters will have little time to recover from Friday’s competition – the free dance will begin Saturday evening in Prague. Fans can stream the competition live on Peacock, beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET.

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