Fournier Beaudry & Cizeron edge Gilles & Poirier in hotly contested Grand Prix Rhythm Dance

FIGURE SKATING

Fournier Beaudry & Cizeron edge Gilles & Poirier in hotly contested Grand Prix Rhythm Dance

21 Nov 2025

The new French duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry & Guillaume Cizeron continues to turn heads. They edged Canada’s ISU World silver medalists Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier for a slim lead in the Rhythm Dance, as the first day of competition at the ISU Grand Prix Finlandia Trophy concluded Friday in Helsinki (FIN).

Laurence Fournier Beaudry & Guillaume Cizeron (FRA) compete in the Ice Dance Rhythm Dance at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Helsinki, Finland © ISU

Fournier Beaudry & Cizeron dance to the lead

In an exciting Rhythm Dance event, the new team of Laurence Fournier Beaudry & Guillaume Cizeron of France edged out four time ISU World medalists Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier of Canada for a slim lead.

USA’s Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik are not far behind, in third place, and the Free Dance is shaping up to be a tough battle for the medals, and points, towards the ISU Grand Prix Final.

Fournier Beaudry & Cizeron had to skate second, as their World ranking is still low after just starting their career as a team this season. They entertained the crowd at the Helsinki Ice Hall with their “Vogue” dance, impressing with fast twizzles and a level-four curve lift.

The Grand Prix de France Champions scored 79.89 points, slightly improving their previous season’s best score.

“I'm happy I came back to competition, because I haven't experienced a competition like that before,” Cizeron said.

“Today we're pretty happy with our performance. We felt really good on the ice, we've been working really hard since Angers to improve this program that we love.

“We were surprised about all the levels (of difficulty) throughout the competition,” he continued.

Gilles/Poirier picked the “Supermodel” theme for their 90s Rhythm Dance, showing off fast paced footwork and a difficult rotational lift. However, Gilles’ twizzles merited only the base level, while Poirier’s were a level four. The Canadian Champions netted 79.56 points.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada in the Ice Dance at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Helsinki, Finland © ISU

“Paul and I were very happy with how we skated,” Gilles commented. “It was another step forward from Skate Canada. We felt a little bit more confident. We found ways to attack this program and we felt like the audience really got behind us today.

“I do have to second what Guillaume said. I think it's unfortunate that the top athletes in the world are getting level ones. It looks like we're almost junior skaters,” she added.

Zingas & Kolesnik delivered another strong performance to “Poison” and “Something In Your Eyes” that featured level-four twizzles and a level-four lift. The Cup of China silver medalist earned 78.51 points.

Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik of the United States in the Ice Dance at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Helsinki, Finland © ISU

“We are very happy to skate here today,” Zingas shared. “This is our third year competing in Finland for the Grand Prix. Since we started skating together, placing well on the Grand Prix has been something we have looked for and fought for.

“I think this is another step in the right direction for our career. We appreciate all the fans, and the energy. and especially our family members who are here supporting us.

“We had a really good time on the ice today and we look forward to tomorrow.”

Olivia Smart & Tim Dieck (ESP) came fourth with their upbeat dance to “Freedom” and “Let Me Entertain You”, achieving a seasons best of 76.07 points. 2018 Olympic bronze medalists Maia and Alex Shibutani (USA) placed fifth (71.99 points). Natalie Taschlerova & Filip Taschler (CZE) are currently ranked sixth on 71.65 points.

The schedule of the ISU Grand Prix Finlandia Trophy is as follows:

Friday, November 21: Pairs, Men’s, Women’s Short Programs, Rhythm Dance
Saturday, November 22: Pairs, Men’s, Women’s Free Skating, Free Dance

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