Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Guillaume Cizeron

Discover the career path of Guillaume Cizeron, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Guillaume Cizeron is a French ice dancer known for his partnership with Laurence Fournier Beaudry. Together, they achieved significant success, including winning the 2026 European Championship and securing a silver medal at the 2025-26 Grand Prix Final. They are also two-time Grand Prix champions and the 2026 French national champions, marking them as prominent figures in the world of ice dancing.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

1989: Marina Klimova/Sergei Ponomarenko

Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis won their 4th consecutive European Championships ice dancing title, the first team to accomplish that since Marina Klimova/Sergei Ponomarenko from 1989 to 1992, handily winning both programs.

1992: Marina Klimova/Sergei Ponomarenko

2008: First French skaters

In 2015, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis were the first French skaters to win a World title since 2008.

2009: ISU Junior Grand Prix series debut

In 2009, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, placing 15th at JGP United States.

2010: JGP France

In 2010, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis finished 4th at JGP France.

2010: 2010 World Junior Championships

In 2010, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis placed 22nd at the World Junior Championships.

2011: World Junior Championships

In 2011, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis advanced to 12th at the World Junior Championships.

2011: Junior Grand Prix events

In 2011, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis finished 4th at both of their Junior Grand Prix events.

June 2012: Move to Lyon for training

In June 2012, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis decided to move to Lyon to train with new coaches Muriel Zazoui, Romain Haguenauer, and Olivier Schoenfelder.

2012: World Junior Championships

In 2012, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis rose to 5th at the World Junior Championships.

2012: Junior Grand Prix Final silver

In 2012, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis won silver at the Junior Grand Prix Final.

2013: World Junior Championships in Milan

At the 2013 World Junior Championships in Milan, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis placed second in the short dance and second overall, despite Papadakis spraining her ankle before the free dance.

2013: Senior international debut

In 2013, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis made their senior international debut at the International Cup of Nice, winning gold.

July 2014: Relocation to Montreal

In July 2014, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis relocated with Haguenauer to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to train with Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Pascal Denis.

December 2014: Grand Prix Final

In December 2014, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis placed third overall at the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona.

2014: World Championships

In 2014, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis placed 13th at the World Championships, held in March in Saitama.

2014: Previous world record

In March 2016, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis set a world record score in the free program, beating the previous world record held by Meryl Davis / Charlie White of the United States of 116.63 at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

January 2015: European Championships gold

In January 2015, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis won the gold medal at the European Championships in Stockholm.

2015: World Champion

In 2015, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis became World champions.

December 2016: Grand Prix Final silver medal

In December 2016, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis received the silver medal at the Grand Prix Final in Marseille, France, finishing second again to Virtue/Moir.

2016: Reference to 2016-17 Grand Prix Final

At the 2020 European Championships, they lost the free dance and in the overall result, this marked the first time they had been defeated in the free dance since the 2016–17 Grand Prix Final.

January 2017: European Championships title

In January 2017, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis won their third continental title at the European Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

2017: Grand Prix Final champion

In 2017, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis became Grand Prix Final champion.

2017: World records

In 2017, at the Cup of China, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis set new short dance personal best of 81.10, a new free dance world record of 119.33 points, and a new overall world record becoming the first team to surpass 200 points with 200.43 points.

2017: Historical World Records in 2017-2018 Season

The 2017-2018 season marks the historical world records set before the introduction of the +5/-5 GOE judging system.

2018: First Place at Grand Prix Final

At the 2018 Grand Prix Final, despite a stumble by Papadakis, they placed first in the rhythm dance segment and won the free dance decisively, winning their second Grand Prix Final gold.

2018: Winter Olympics silver medal

At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis finished second in the short dance despite Papadakis suffering a wardrobe malfunction, and first in the free skate to claim the silver medal.

2018: Mention of 2018 Winter Olympics loss to Virtue/Moir

At the 2020 European Championships, they lost the free dance and in the overall result, this marked the first time anyone had beaten Papadakis/Cizeron since Virtue/Moir at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

2018: Withdrawal from NHK Trophy due to injury

Due to Cizeron's back injury, Papadakis and Cizeron had to withdraw from the 2018 NHK Trophy. Later in 2018, they competed at the Internationaux de France in Grenoble, winning the gold medal and setting new world records.

2018: Historical World Records in 2017-2018 Season

The 2017-2018 season marks the historical world records set before the introduction of the +5/-5 GOE judging system.

2019: Grand Prix Final champion

In 2019, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis became Grand Prix Final champion.

2019: Grand Prix and NHK Trophy Victories

In 2019, Papadakis and Cizeron debuted their programs at Master's de Patinage before their first international appearance at the Grand Prix, setting a world record in the rhythm dance. At the 2019 NHK Trophy, they again set the world record in the rhythm dance and became the first couple in history to score over 90 points in the segment, winning the free dance as well and qualifying first to the Grand Prix Final.

2019: Fifth Straight Win at European Championships and Fourth World Title

In 2019, Papadakis and Cizeron won their fifth consecutive French national title and their fifth straight European Championships, setting new world records. They also claimed their fourth World title at the 2019 World Championships, again setting new world records. They concluded the 2019 season at the World Team Trophy, setting new world records in the free skating and overall score.

November 2020: Skipping French and European Championships

In November 2020, it was reported that Papadakis and Cizeron would skip both the French and European championships for that season to focus on the World Championships in Stockholm due to travel difficulties.

2020: Silver Medal at European Championships

After winning another French national title, Papadakis and Cizeron competed at the 2020 European Championships in Graz, where they won the silver medal, marking their first defeat since the 2018 Winter Olympics and the first time they had been defeated in the free dance since the 2016–17 Grand Prix Final.

2020: French national champion

In 2020, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis became French national champions.

January 2021: Withdrawal from World Championships

On January 20, 2021, Papadakis and Cizeron announced their withdrawal from the World Championships, focusing instead on the 2021/2022 season and the 2022 Olympics.

2021: Grand Prix d'Italia and Internationaux de France Gold Medals

In 2021, Papadakis and Cizeron won the 2021 Gran Premio d'Italia and the 2021 Internationaux de France, qualifying them for the Grand Prix Final, which was later cancelled.

2021: Gold at CS Finlandia Trophy and Homophobic Comments Controversy

In 2021, Papadakis and Cizeron won the gold medal at the CS Finlandia Trophy. A controversy emerged regarding homophobic comments made by a Russian skating judge about Cizeron's homosexuality.

2021: Cizeron Begins Choreography Career

In 2021, following the 2021–22 Olympic season, Cizeron transitioned to regularly working as a choreographer for several skaters.

June 2022: One-Year Break Announcement

In June 2022, Papadakis and Cizeron announced that they would take a one-year break from competition but did not rule out returning for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

2022: Named to Olympic Team, Withdrawal from European Championships

After winning the French national title again, Papadakis and Cizeron were named to the French Olympic team and opted to withdraw from the 2022 European Championships to avoid the risk of the Omicron variant.

2022: Gold Medal at 2022 Winter Olympics

At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Papadakis and Cizeron won the gold medal with a record-setting rhythm dance score and a new world record for total score.

2022: Olympic champion

In 2022, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis became Olympic champions.

2022: Taking time off after winning gold

In 2022, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis took time off from competition following winning the gold at the Olympics.

2022: Focus on 2022 Olympics

In January 2021, Papadakis and Cizeron announced they would withdraw from the World Championships and would instead be focusing on the 2021/2022 season and the 2022 Olympics.

2022: Fifth World Title at 2022 World Championships

Papadakis and Cizeron won their fifth World title at the 2022 World Championships in Montpellier, setting new world records in the rhythm dance, free dance, and total score.

April 2023: Extended Break Announcement

In April 2023, Papadakis and Cizeron extended their break for an additional season.

December 3, 2024: Retirement Announcement

On December 3, 2024, Papadakis and Cizeron officially announced their retirement from competitive ice dance.

2024: End of dance partnership

In 2024, Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis ended their successful dance partnership, after taking time off from competition following winning the gold at the Olympics in 2022.

March 2025: Cizeron Announces Return with New Partner

In March 2025, Cizeron announced he would return to competition with new ice dance partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry.

August 2025: Gold at Masters de Villard-de-Lans

In August 2025, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron won gold at the French competition Masters de Villard-de-Lans in their competitive debut as a team.

2025: Gold at Grand Prix de France

In 2025, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron debuted their new rhythm dance, along with their free dance, at 2025 Grand Prix de France, securing gold despite a mistake from Cizeron in the final element of their rhythm dance.

2025: Second Consecutive Grand Prix Gold

In 2025, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron won their second consecutive Grand Prix gold at the 2025 Finlandia Trophy after placing first in both the Rhythm and Free Dance.

2025: Grand Prix Final silver medalist

In 2025, Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry won the Grand Prix Final silver medal.

2026: Gold at the 2026 Winter Olympic Ice Dance Event

In 2026, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron won the gold in the Winter Olympic Ice Dance event, achieving first place in both segments. Cizeron expressed shock and gratitude for the journey and support leading to this victory.

2026: Winter Olympics gold medalist

In 2026, Guillaume Cizeron won the Winter Olympics gold medal with his current partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry.

2026: Title at the European Figure Skating Championships

In January 2026, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron won the title at the 2026 European Figure Skating Championships with over 12 points to spare in their debut at this event as a team.

2026: Fournier Beaudry Eligible for Olympics

In January 2026, Fournier Beaudry was granted French citizenship, making her eligible for the 2026 Olympics.

2026: Possibility of returning for the 2026 Winter Olympics

In June 2022, Papadakis and Cizeron announced that they would take a one-year break from competition but did not rule out returning and pushing for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

2026: Aim to compete at the 2026 Olympics

In March 2025, Cizeron announced he would return to competition with new ice dance partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry and mentioned that they aimed to compete at the 2026 Olympics.

2026: Second Place at 2026 Winter Olympics Figure Skating Team Event

On February 6, 2026, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron achieved second place with a personal best score of 89.98 in the Rhythm Dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics Figure Skating Team Event, marking a special moment for Cizeron and his partner.