Fresh off their razor-thin Olympic ice dance gold medal win at Milano Cortina 2026, France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron faced the media storm in a tense post-victory press conference – and they weren’t holding back!

The new duo (paired only since March 2025) stunned the world by edging out three-time world champs Madison Chock & Evan Bates (USA, silver) with a season-best free dance score of 225.82, becoming the talk of the Games. But the victory came wrapped in controversy that refuses to die:

• Judging scandal on steroids: French judge Jézabel Dabouis gave them an 8-point edge in the free dance – so massive that if her score was tossed, the Americans would’ve taken gold! The ISU defended the panel, but fans and critics are screaming “bias” and “home cooking.”
• Cizeron’s dark past allegations: His ex-partner Gabriella Papadakis (with whom he won Beijing 2022 gold) dropped bombs in her January 2026 memoir So As Not to Disappear, accusing him of being “controlling, demanding, critical,” emotionally manipulative, and leaving her “terrified” to be alone with him. She described a “blood-chilling coldness” and said the partnership destroyed her mental health. Cizeron fired back, calling it a “smear campaign” full of “false information” – and he’s reportedly suing for defamation. (NBC even dropped her as an Olympic commentator over the “conflict of interest.”)
• Fournier Beaudry’s own baggage: Her former partner/boyfriend Nikolaj Sørensen faced a 6-year suspension over sexual assault allegations (later overturned pending review), but he’s been spotted cheering her on in the arena.
  

In the viral CGTN Sports Scene press conference (Feb 12, 2026 – already 90K+ views), the pair dismissed the off-ice chaos as “noise” and stayed laser-focused:

• Cizeron: “We’ve created a bubble where we really supported each other… We’ve been through incredibly hard moments.” He called the scrutiny “strange games” but insisted it didn’t touch their performance.
• Fournier Beaudry: Emphasized the joy of rediscovering skating with a new partner, turning past challenges into fuel for this historic win.
• On the judging drama? They cheekily claimed they deserved even higher scores because their routine was technically tougher – talk about unbothered!
  

The room was electric: questions kept circling back to the allegations and scores instead of the skating itself. Light applause greeted their gala exhibition routine days later, but President Macron’s proud shoutout (“France held its breath… They did it!”) showed the nation still rallying behind them.

Cizeron made history as the first ice dancer to win Olympic gold twice with different partners – but at what cost? Fans are split:

• “Pure talent vs. shady judging & toxic vibes ”
• “They skated beautifully – let the haters hate! ”
• “This presser was more drama than the free dance!”