They Won Because They Were Undeniable — Not Because Anyone Handed It to Them.” — Legendary French Coach Romain Haguenauer Delivers a Fiery, No-Apologies Defense of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron After Their Controversial Gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, as Backlash From Team USA Fans Explodes Across Social Media and Reignites the Debate Over Judging, Legacy, and What True Mastery on Ice Really Looks Like
After Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron clinched Olympic ice dance gold at Milano Cortina 2026 – edging out Team USA’s Madison Chock & Evan Bates by a razor-thin 1.43 points (225.82 to 224.39) – the French pair immediately faced a massive wave of controversy and criticism from fans, experts, and American media.
The main controversy:
- French judge Jézabel Dabouis scored the French pair nearly 8 points higher than the Americans in the free dance (137.45 vs. 129.74 – the lowest score among the 9 judges and over 5 points below the average). If her score were discarded, Chock/Bates would have won gold!
- Many accused “national bias,” dubbing it “SkateGate 2.0.” A petition with thousands of signatures demanded an independent investigation, though the ISU defended the results, stating full confidence in the scoring.
- Added personal drama: Cizeron faced past allegations of being “controlling, demanding, and cold” from ex-partner Gabriella Papadakis (with whom he won Olympic gold in 2022). Fournier Beaudry was also linked to controversy involving her previous partner, who was banned for sexual abuse.
Amid criticism over their “older” age (Fournier Beaudry 33, Cizeron 31 – considered mature for ice dance) and the judging dispute, legendary French coach Romain Haguenauer – widely regarded as the “king of ice dance” and the architect of Papadakis/Cizeron’s 2022 Olympic gold – came out fiercely in their defense during a post-final interview:
“This is only their first season, and their age in four years is absolutely not a barrier. I would be surprised and a bit frustrated if they decided to stop. This is just the beginning of their story.”
He stressed their vast experience, perfect chemistry, and untapped potential as major advantages. “We can push the boundaries even further,” Haguenauer asserted, implicitly rejecting suggestions they should retire at the peak. As head coach at Ice Academy of Montreal (where both the French and American pairs train), he believes the controversy is just “noise” around a historic achievement: Cizeron became the first ice dancer ever to win Olympic gold with two different partners!
The French duo also responded: They argued their program was technically more complex despite minor errors, with an initial goal of winning by 5–7 points (errors cost them 3–4). Chock/Bates called their own performance a “gold medal performance” but remained professional.