It was a golden debut for Laurence Fournier Beaudry & Guillaume Cizeron of France: The new team danced off with gold, in their very first international competition, in a breathtaking Ice Dance final at the Grand Prix de France in Angers Sunday.

Fournier Beaudry/Cizeron (FRA) victorious in first ISU Grand Prix as a team

Laurence Fournier Beaudry & Guillaume Cizeron of France came from third in the Rhythm Dance to win their very first international competition as a team. Top seeds Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson of Great Britain claimed  the silver while Lithuania’s Allison Reed & Saulius Ambrulevicius returned to the ISU Grand Prix podium to earn the bronze. 

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron (FRA) win the Ice Dance Free Dance at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Angers, France © ISU

Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron are experienced ice dancers, but they have only been skating together for half a year, and since then have taken the ice dance scene by storm. 

Sitting in third, following the Rhythm Dance, the couple put out a sublime Free Dance to music “The Whale” soundtrack, impressing with beautiful lifts and intricate footwork. They picked up mostly level fours and threes for their elements to score 133.02 points. They edged out overnight leaders Fear/Gibson by less than a point with a total of 211.02 points. 

“We're really happy with the performance and the feeling that we had today,” Cizeron said. “It's the kind of performance that we train and live for, and it's the feelings that we missed.

"It felt amazing remembering how much we love competing and doing this first competition together.”

Fournier Beaudry/Cizeron pocketed 15 points and will compete again only at the last ISU Grand Prix event Finlandia Trophy in Helsinki in November.

Fear & Gibson entertained the enthusiastic crowd at the sold-out Angers Ice Parc with their Scottish inspired Free Dance to “I’m Gonna be (500 miles)”, “The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond” and “Auld Lang Syne”. 

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (GBR) in the Free Dance at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Angers, France © ISU

The 2025 ISU World bronze medalists produced fast paced footwork and spectacular lifts to post a season’s best of 125.86 points. They came second at 210.24 points overall.  

“We're just so proud of that performance,” Fear noted. “It felt similar to what we've been training, that aliveness. And then having that added layer of a crowd that is so supportive, and wants to be entertained, is just such a joy, and something that we love more than anything in the world. 

“We're really holding on to that feeling and we are definitely fired up for the next Grand Prix.”

The British Champions will compete again at the NHK Trophy in three weeks. 

Reed & Ambrulevicius gave an upbeat techno-style performance to “God Is a DJ” and “We Come 1” by Faithless, that was highlighted by their lifts and smooth steps. 

Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius of Lithuania in the Free Dance at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Angers, France © ISU

With a season’s best of 120.07 points for the Free Dance and 201.05 points total, the 2024 ISU European bronze medalists slipped from second to third to earn the bronze, the fourth of their career.

“Medaling at the Grand Prix event is always a pleasure and gives us big pride and honor,” Ambrulevicius commented. “We are happy about what we achieved today on the ice, and as a team. 

“The medal is a nice bonus and it gives us a big boost towards the next Grand Prix, which we can't wait for actually, since it is in Saskatoon, so the jet lag is less. Canada has become a second home, and it's another home crowd, and we can't wait to bring this energy to that arena,” he continued.

Three-time and reigning ISU European Champions Charlene Guignard & Marco Fabbri (ITA) moved up from fifth to fourth place with a beautiful performance to music from the “Diamanti” soundtrack (195.98 points). Diana Davis & Gleb Smolkin (GEO) came fifth (194.27) followed by Marie-Jade Lauriault & Romain Le Gac (CAN) on 186.49 points. 

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