Figure skating-US and French pairs vie for ice dance supremacy

MILAN, Feb 7 : The ice dance event at the Milano Cortina Olympics is headlined by a riveting new rivalry between Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates and electrifying new French duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron. 

The French pair arrive as one of the sport's most closely watched stories — Cizeron, the reigning Olympic champion, returned to competition in 2025 with new partner Fournier Beaudry, who competed for Canada before securing French citizenship less than three months before the Games.

The two have rapidly surged to the top of the podium at major events, including the European Championships, to cement themselves as leading contenders for Olympic gold.  

Their partnership — less than a year old — has brought immediate success, with victories at both of their Grand Prix assignments despite intense scrutiny and off‑ice controversy.

Chock and Bates, meanwhile, remain the established benchmark. The Americans beat the French by six points at the Grand Prix Final to reinforce their status as the ones to beat.

They also edged Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron in the rhythm dance of the Olympic team event on Friday by just over a point in recording this season's highest score in the segment. 

Their technical consistency has kept the married couple at the top of the discipline, setting up a tantalising head‑to‑head for the Olympic title.

The styles between the two rivals are markedly different. The French feature expressive, mature artistry, and their mesmerizing free dance to the soundtrack from "The Whale" is classic French elegance.

Americans Chock and Bates are about power and drama. Their free dance to "Paint it Black" is a matador-inspired programme. 

Chock and Bates are performing one of their most daring free