Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, in first place after the short program in the dance event at the World Championships

Ashley Davis28/03/2026

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Article by Roxana Fleşeru – Published Friday, March 27, 2026 6:51 p.m. / Updated Friday, March 27, 2026 7:06 p.m.

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, the only individual Milan-Cortina Olympic champions present in Prague, lead after the rhythmic dance at the World Championships in Prague.

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron want to crown their first season together with the world title in the dance event, after conquering the Olympic one.

They took the first step, ranking first after the short program, which belongs to the rhythmic dance. The French managed their best short program, scoring 92.74 points to secure a 6.29-point lead over Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier ahead of Saturday's free dance in Prague. Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson are third with 85.09 points.

Italy's past three world champions and Olympic runners-up, Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, have withdrawn from these Championships, saying they “gave it all in Milan” and that “their season seems complete”.

At the Milan-Cortina Olympics, the French edged out the Americans by 1.43 points in the gold medal race in the closest result of the Games in figure skating. The Americans vehemently contested the result, leading to accusations of favoritism on the part of a French referee.

Guillaume Cizeron: “It gave me butterflies in my stomach”

After their performance on the ice in the O2 Arena in Prague, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron spoke about how they found this new experience.

“It was quite magical. It's a crazy atmosphere at the rink. It gave me butterflies in my stomach, first with excitement, then with gratitude for being here. I had a nice evolution, more relaxed than at the Games. The points followed, but honestly it was more about living the moment in the arena with the fans and the whole crowd. It was special,” Cizeron said for ISU.

He holds five world titles with his former partner, Gabriella Papadakis, in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2022.

Laurence Beaudry added: “We knew we could perform well, so we're a bit more relaxed. Today, I think it was just the right amount of relaxation.”

Laurence also spoke about the nostalgia of presenting the final program to Madonna's song “Vogue” and about his new costume, which is different from the Olympics. “I wanted something special for the World Championships, so I got a new suit to enjoy the last performance here, the last performance with this suit”, he she told GoldenSkate.

The American singer got in touch with them after watching them at the Olympics. “It was really cool that he did that.”

Setting the tone in style ✨

Laurence Fournier Beaudry & Guillaume Cizeron vogue their way to a personal best, taking the lead and owning the moment from the very first beat.

Main character energy only. 🔥 #WorldFigure #FigureSkating pic.twitter.com/BMfBQdagV3

— ISU Figure Skating (@ISU_Figure) March 27, 2026

The two revealed that after the Olympics, they had a very busy time: they were in France to participate in various interviews, then returned to Canada, where they train and where Laurence was born. They also had to deal with some medical issues, but quickly returned to training.

“When we entered the season, it was clear from the beginning that we would also participate in the World Championships. It's also our first edition together, we really wanted to get here as Olympic champions.” Fournier Beaudry also said. The free program in the dance rehearsal takes place on Saturday evening, from 19:30.

Gold medal for Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin in the pairs event

On Thursday night, the first medals were awarded at the World Championships in Prague. Germans Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin (228.33) became world champions in pairs. They were followed on the podium by Georgians Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava (218.41) and Canadians Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud (216.09).

Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin on the catwalk PHOTO Guliver/GettyImages

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, the Milan-Cortina Olympic champions and the 2025 world champions, did not participate in this edition.

Friday evening the medals are given in the women's event, and on Saturday in the men's event, where Ilia Malinin is in first place after the short program.