ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2026: Olympic champs Fournier Beaudry/Cizeron take lead with new rhythm dance personal best
The Olympic gold medallists were a class apart in Prague, opening up a lead of over six points in the ice dance category with a new rhythm dance personal best — the second-highest score recorded in the segment.
Olympic ice dance champions Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron are in pole position to add the world title to their Milano Cortina 2026 gold medal after recording the second-highest rhythm dance score under the ISU Judging System at the 2026 ISU World Figure Skating Championships on Friday (27 March).
The French team’s score of 92.74 points trails only Madison Chock and Evan Bates’ 93.91 set at the 2023 World Team Trophy. It was another footnote added to Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron’s successful first season skating together, one that looks set to end with another triumph.
There was very little to pick apart in their rhythm dance, set to Madonna’s “Vogue”, on Friday. The duo received high grades of execution for all their elements, and hit technical level fours on their twizzles, pattern dance type step sequence, and rotational lift. They received level threes for their Midline step sequence.
think relaxing and not stressing so much,” Cizeron explained of how they managed to hit their new personal best at the end of such a long season.
“It’s a shame because we can’t help it, we get stressed. But we know we perform well when we’re a little bit more relaxed, and today was just the right amount of stress.
“I think having so many people in the audience really gave us a lot of strength, a lot of motivation, it gives us that magical feeling.”
Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, the Olympic bronze medallists, sit second on 86.45 after achieving a season’s best of their own.
However, they face the daunting task of making up over six points to Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron in the free dance on Saturday.
“I think we really took the pressure off ourselves and we treated it like we were at home, like we skate at home,” Gilles said afterwards. “The arena felt so comfortable.”
Rounding out the top three on 85.09 points were the “Disco Brits”, Great Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, performing their Spice Girls routine competitively for the last time.
Fear and Gibson dropped points on their twizzles, which only received level threes from the technical panel, although Gibson expressed satisfaction with their routine.
He said: “Looking back, it was really the joy that we felt right at the end (which was most satisfying). We were both just so happy and elated with the skate that we did, and to feel the audience also on our side in the moment was so special, especially on the last rhythm dance of the season as well.”
