New French duo Fournier Beaudry, Cizeron lead after short dance

MILAN -- Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France continued one of figure skating's most compelling revivals on Monday night, winning the rhythm dance at the Milan Cortina Olympics in only their fifth international event.

The duo, who teamed up last March, kept up their breakneck speed to the top of the ice dance world by scoring 90.18 points -- their best ever -- for their sleek fashion-runway-meets-ice-dance take on Madonna's "Vogue."

In a showdown that felt like the sharpening of a rivalry, they edged triple world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States, who delivered a high-octane rhythm dance powered by rock and roll swagger for 89.72 points.

Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier were third with 86.18.

The free dance is on Wednesday.

Cizeron had said last week that his partnership with Fournier Beaudry is "bonus time" for both skaters after they had believed their respective careers were over.

Cizeron's former partner Gabriella Papadakis retired after the Beijing Olympics, while Fournier Beaudry's partner Nikolaj Sorensen received a six-year suspension in 2024 for sexual maltreatment, although the suspension has been overturned on jurisdictional grounds.

After teaming up last spring, Fournier Beaudry, a Canadian, received her French citizenship in November to pave her way to the Olympics. They made an immediate impact on international ice, winning both their Grand Prix assignments before being edged by Chock and Bates at the Final in December.

--Reuters, special to Field Level Media