The Olympic ice dance title came down to fractions of a point in Milan, with France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron delivering two top-ranked programs to capture gold with a total score of 225.82.
The French team led after the rhythm dance and backed it up in the free. For Cizeron, already an Olympic champion from the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the victory marked a remarkable second Games with a new partner. For Fournier Beaudry, it capped a rapid ascent to the top of the sport, as the pair followed their season-long momentum with the biggest result of their barely year-long career.
"We love what we do, and we loved every step of the way," Cizeron said.
Just behind them, Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates finished a surprise 2nd in both the rhythm dance and free dance, earning silver at 224.39 — less than a point and a half off the lead. The three-time reigning world champions arrived in Milan chasing the individual Olympic title that had eluded them across multiple cycles, and while their skating again showcased their trademark blend of power, edge quality, and performance depth, they were ultimately not rewarded the top spot in one of the tightest finishes of the Games.
"It's definitely a bittersweet feeling at the moment," Chock said after the medal ceremony. "We have so much to be proud of. We've had the most incredible career, 15 years on the ice together, first Olympics as a married couple and we delivered four of our best performances this week. I'm really proud of how we've handled ourselves and what we've accomplished here."
Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier completed the podium with bronze at 217.74, placing 3rd in both segments. In a transcendent moment on Olympic ice, two-time world silver medalists, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier finished their "Vincent" free dance in tears – a sign of the emotional output from the veteran ice dancers. "Oh my god," Gilles could be seen saying as they held their finishing pose, ultimately securing long-awaited Olympic hardware in their third Games together.
"We're so proud of ourselves and what we've accomplished. The start of the season was really difficult and challenging for us," Poirier said. "We had to make a conscious decision each day to believe in ourselves and to believe that what we wanted was possible. And we had to keep feeding ourselves that belief every single day, even when it didn't really feel real. But I think that it is what allowed us to have a skate like that today at the Olympics.
Italy’s Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri finished 4th overall (209.58) after climbing from 5th in the rhythm dance to fourth in the free dance, skating in front of a home crowd in Milan. The four-time Olympians once again showed their competitive resilience, narrowly missing the podium.
Team USA placed a second couple inside the top five, as first-time Olympians Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik capped a breakout season with 5th place at 206.72. After entering the free dance in 6th, the Americans moved up one spot with a strong final skate, adding an Olympic top-five finish to a year that already included Grand Prix medals, Four Continents gold, and U.S. national silver.
"We're top five at the Olympics," Zingas said after competing. "This is absolutely insane. If you told me one year ago today, I'd be top five at the Olympics, I would have said, 'No, it's a lie. It's a straight up lie.' I'm really happy to be here and to have the result that we did."
Americans Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko finished in 11th (197.62), closing out an impressive Olympic debut just outside the top 10, after ranking 11th in the rhythm dance and 10th in the free. Skating to the soundtrack of “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer,” which first brought them success in the 2023-24 season, they gave a lights-out performance at the Milan Cortina Games. Their connection with each other, the audience, and the dramatic theme was seamless and powerful. They earned a season's best 119.47 points in the free dance.
Full results
1. Laurence Fournier Beaudry/Guillaume Cizeron (FRA) - 225.82
2. Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) - 224.39
3. Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) - 217.74
4. Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA) - 209.58
5. Emilea Zingas/Vadym Kolesnik (USA) - 206.72
6. Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius (LTU) - 204.66
7. Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) - 204.32
8. Evgeniia Lopareva/Geoffrey Brissaud (FRA) - 203.68
9. Olivia Smart/Tim Dieck (ESP) - 201.49
10. Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha (CAN) - 199.80
11. Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko (USA) - 197.62
12. Juulia Turkkila/Matthias Versluis (FIN) - 196.03
13. Diana Davis/Gleb Smolkin (GEO) - 196.02
14. Marie-Jade Lauriault/Romain le Gac (CAN) - 187.18
15. Natalie Taschlerova/Filip Taschler (CZE) - 185.00
16. Katerina Mrazkova/Daniel Mrazek (CZE) - 181.44
17. Phebe Bekker/James Hernandez (GBR) - 179.45
18. Holly Harris/Jason Chan (AUS) - 176.39
19. Sofia Val/Asaf Kazimov (ESP) - 165.23
20. Milla Ruud Reitan/Nikolaj Majorov (SWE) - 165.05