Laurence Fournier Beaudry: Olympic Ice Dance Champion

Few things in figure skating happen as fast as Laurence Fournier Beaudry’s rise from Canadian champion to Olympic gold medalist. Within a single season, she switched partners, switched countries, and stood atop the podium in Milano Cortina. This is the story of how she got there — and the personal details that define her off the ice.

Current partner: Guillaume Cizeron · Previous partner: Nikolaj Sørensen · Olympic title: 2026 Olympic champion · World title: 2026 World champion · Born: July 18, 1992 · Citizenship: Canadian and French

Key biographical details for Laurence Fournier Beaudry:

Who is Laurence Fournier Beaudry’s partner?

Current partner: Guillaume Cizeron

Laurence Fournier Beaudry teamed up with Guillaume Cizeron in March 2025, a move that reshaped the ice dance landscape. Cizeron had stepped away from competition after the 2022 season but chose to return with Fournier Beaudry as his new partner, according to the International Skating Union (ISU) profile. The pair planned to represent France together, and Fournier Beaudry’s French citizenship — granted in April 2025 — made that possible.

Previous partner: Nikolaj Sørensen

Before Cizeron, Fournier Beaudry skated with Danish ice dancer Nikolaj Sørensen from 2012 to 2024. The pair competed for Canada and Denmark, winning silver at the 2022 Canadian Championships and finishing ninth at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, as documented by Wikipedia. Their partnership ended in 2024 after more than a decade together.

Partnership timeline

• 2012–2024: Fournier Beaudry and Sørensen — Canadian/Danish team, ninth at Beijing 2022
• March 2025: Fournier Beaudry announces partnership with Cizeron (Wikipedia)
• April 2025: French citizenship granted, clearing Olympic eligibility (Reuters)
• February 2026: Olympic gold at Milano Cortina (Olympics.com)

The decision to switch partners and countries redefined her trajectory.

What happened to Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron?

Why did Papadakis and Cizeron split?

Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis were the dominant ice dance team of their era — 2022 Olympic champions, five-time world champions, and five-time European champions, according to the ISU. They stopped competing together in 2024 after Cizeron decided to retire from competition. He later reversed that decision when the opportunity to skate with Fournier Beaudry emerged.

Is Guillaume Cizeron openly gay?

Yes. Cizeron publicly came out as gay in 2020, becoming one of the most prominent openly LGBTQ+ athletes in figure skating. His coming-out was widely covered in the sports media and marked a significant moment for representation in the sport.

What is Gabriella Papadakis doing now?

Papadakis transitioned into coaching and choreography after the partnership ended. She now works as a choreographer and coach, bringing her Olympic and world championship experience to the next generation of skaters.

The pattern of partnership changes in elite ice dance shows how quickly success can shift.

Is Laurence Fournier Beaudry married?

Relationship status

As of 2025, Fournier Beaudry has not publicly confirmed a marriage. Her personal relationship status remains private, and she does not regularly discuss romantic partnerships in interviews or on social media.

Past relationships

She was previously in a long-term on-ice partnership with Nikolaj Sørensen, but no romantic relationship between them has been documented. The line between skating partners and personal life is often blurred in figure skating, but in this case, the available evidence points to a professional-only dynamic.

The implication is that her focus remains on competition rather than public disclosure of personal relationships.

Is Laurence Beaudry a French citizen?

How did she gain French citizenship?

Laurence Fournier Beaudry holds French citizenship, which she was granted in April 2025. Reuters reported on November 9, 2025, that Fournier Beaudry had been granted French citizenship, making her eligible to compete for France at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. The exact mechanism — whether through ancestry or naturalization — has not been detailed in public sources.

Dual citizenship implications

Fournier Beaudry holds both Canadian and French citizenship, a dual status that allows her to represent France internationally while maintaining her Canadian roots. For readers interested in the broader context of dual citizenship among Canadian athletes, the profile of Ahn Hyo-Seop: Canadian Citizenship and Dual Nationality explores similar themes of cross-border eligibility.

The catch: the exact path to citizenship remains undocumented, leaving a gap in her biography.

What languages does Laurence Beaudry speak?

English

Fournier Beaudry is a native English speaker, having grown up in Canada. She conducts interviews and communicates publicly primarily in English.

French

She is also fluent in French, a skill that became essential after she began representing France and partnered with Cizeron, a native French speaker. Her bilingual ability reflects her French heritage and her new national affiliation. For a look at another Canadian athlete’s multilingual profile, see Macklin Celebrini: Canadian Athlete Profile.

Her language skills smooth the transition to a French team and media environment.

Two partnerships, one career arc: Fournier Beaudry’s results with Sørensen and Cizeron tell a story of progression.

Timeline

• 2012: Began partnership with Nikolaj Sørensen (Wikipedia)
• 2022: Won silver at Canadian Championships, competed at Beijing Olympics (9th) (Wikipedia)
• 2024: Partnership with Sørensen ended
• March 2025: Teamed up with Guillaume Cizeron (ISU Skating)
• April 2025: Granted French citizenship (Reuters)
• February 2026: Won Olympic gold (225.82 points, free dance 135.64) (ISU Skating)
• 2026: Won World champion, European champion

This rapid ascent from ninth place to gold in one Olympic cycle is almost unprecedented in ice dance.

What we know and what remains unclear

Confirmed facts

• Laurence Fournier Beaudry is a Canadian-French ice dancer (Wikipedia)
• She is the 2026 Olympic champion (Olympics.com)
• She partnered with Guillaume Cizeron in 2025 (ISU Skating)
• She holds French citizenship (Reuters)

What remains unclear

• Her exact height
• Her marital status
• How she obtained French citizenship (ancestry or naturalization)
• Fluent in English and French

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron won Olympic ice dance gold on February 11, 2026, with a total of 225.82 points, including a free dance score of 135.64.

ISU Skating (sport’s governing body)

Fournier Beaudry was granted French citizenship in April 2025, making her eligible for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Reuters (global news agency)

Cizeron became the first ice dancer to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals with two different partners.

ISU Skating (sport’s governing body)

Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron won gold in their first season as a team.

Olympics.com (official Olympic broadcaster)

Fournier Beaudry’s career arc — from a 9th-place finish in Beijing with Sørensen to Olympic gold in Milano Cortina with Cizeron — is a reminder that the right partnership can change everything. For the French skating federation, the bet on a newly minted citizen pairing with a returning champion paid off in the highest possible currency. For Fournier Beaudry, the choice to switch partners and countries at age 33 was vindicated in a single season. For Canadian athletes watching, the implication is clear: when the system at home doesn’t unlock your ceiling, a change of flag — and a leap of faith — might.

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