“We’ll have a clear indication of where they stand.” Romain Haguenauer on Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry GP assignments
Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry gear up for the 2026 Winter Olympics with Grand Prix Events in France and Finland
original source: lequipe.fr dd. June 6th by Celine Nony
Olympic ice dance champion Guillaume Cizeron and his new partner, Laurence Fournier Beaudry, are set to compete at the Grand Prix de France in Angers and the Finland Trophy as part of their preparation for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics. Here’s a translation of their coach Romain Haguenauer’s comments posted on L’Equipe.
The duo will first compete at the Masters de Patinage in Villard-de-Lans (August 28–30) before entering the ISU Grand Prix circuit. According to Friday’s announcement by the International Skating Union (ISU), the pair will participate in two events: the Grand Prix de France in Angers, which kicks off the season (October 17–19), and the final stage in Finland (November 21–23). Depending on their performance, they may also qualify for the Grand Prix Final in Japan in early December.
Romain Haguenauer, one of the pair’s coaches in Montreal, explained the strategy behind these choices: “It was evident they would compete in Angers, but we made a deliberate decision to request the last Grand Prix event as well. It’s a new partnership, so having 4-5 weeks between the two events provides a comfortable timeframe to address certain areas for improvement.”
Haguenauer believes the Grand Prix de France in Angers will be an important benchmark for Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry, not only because they’ll receive enthusiastic support on home soil but also because of the strong competition they’ll face. Among their challengers will be two world-renowned teams: the British duo Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson and the Italian team that has claimed three European titles and medaled twice at Worlds (2023 and 2024). “We’ll have a clear indication of where they stand,” Haguenauer noted.
At the Finland Grand Prix, the pair will meet another strong team, Canadian vice world champions Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier. This schedule ensures that Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry will face almost every Olympic title contender, except for their American training mates in Montreal, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who are triple world champions and heavy favorites for Milan.
Related topics: grand prix, Guillaume Cizeron, Laurence Fournier Beaudry, Romaine Haguenauer
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