Guillaume Cizeron: “We expected it. We didn’t know how Shawn Rettstatt would do it, but we knew he’d find a way [to penalize the performance]. What happened is absolutely not representative of the two performances in Finland.”
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume won the Finland Grand Prix in ice dance, securing a spot in the Grand Prix Final, but expressed frustration over strict judging.
original source: franceinfo.fe dd. 23d November 2025
In their quest for Olympic gold at the Winter Games in less than three months, Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry took a step forward on Saturday, November 22, by winning the Finland Grand Prix in ice dance. However the duo expressed frustration over strict judging. Here’s a translation of their comments posted in Franceinfo.
“We had very good feelings on the ice; above all, we wanted to enjoy the moment together and share it with the audience. We’re very happy,” said Guillaume Cizeron. “When we manage to calm our minds, open our hearts, and share that together – as a couple and with the audience – it creates an incredible exchange of love and energy,” added Canadian-born Laurence Fournier Beaudry.
Their free dance, set to music from the film “The Whale,” earned them 124.29 points – a score sufficient for victory but well below the 133.02 points they received in Angers. As in the rhythm dance the day before, the technical panel was particularly strict with all competitors. The French duo received a one-point penalty for a rotational lift in the middle of the program, and their choreographic step sequence was downgraded to level 1.
An American official, Shawn Rettstatt, was singled out by Guillaume Cizeron in L’Equipe. “We expected it. We didn’t know how he would do it, but we knew he’d find a way [to penalize the performance]. (…) What happened is absolutely not representative of the two performances this weekend. So we’re not going to base our future plans on these scores,” said the Beijing Olympic champion, criticizing the president of the ice dance commission, “a role that deserves more competence,” according to the French skater.
Despite the frustration, the Cizeron-Fournier Beaudry duo has qualified for the Grand Prix Final in two weeks in Nagoya, where their showdown with Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the reigning two-time world champions, will be highly anticipated ahead of the Milan-Cortina Olympics (February 6–22).
Related topics: Grand Prix Finlandia Trophy, Guillaume Cizeron, Laurence Fournier Beaudry, Shawn Rettstatt
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