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

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) AFP via Getty Images 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.