Laurence Fournier Beaudry didn't know what was next.
The Canadian figure skater was at a career crossroads after Nikolaj Sorensen — her partner on and off the ice — was handed a six-year suspension for sexual maltreatment in October.
"It was really difficult for me, because skating is my entire life and I was getting into a new season that just got cancelled," the ice dancer said in a phone interview from Paris. "I got in a place where I was a little bit lost and I didn't know where I wanted to go."
Best friend and former Olympic champion Guillaume Cizeron then reached out with an unexpected proposal.
The duo announced their surprise partnership Sunday and will compete internationally for France, Cizeron's home country, with hopes of gracing the ice at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics in Italy.
"When Guillaume just came up and gave me that suggestion, it just gave me so much hope that I could continue to show the beautiful part of the sport," said Fournier Beaudry, a 32-year-old from Montreal.
Sorensen was suspended by Skate Canada following an investigation by the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner into an allegation he sexually assaulted an American figure skating coach and former skater in Hartford, Conn., in 2012.
Sorensen has denied the allegation, which came to light in a USA Today report in January 2024. It has not been tested in court.
Asked how difficult the past year has been, Fournier Beaudry responded, "That's a good question."
After a 10-second pause and a follow-up question, she added: "I don't want to elaborate on it."
Fournier Beaudry did say Sorensen, who hasn't spoken publicly since receiving the ban, is on board with the new skating partnership.
Sorensen and Fournier Beaudry teamed up in 2012 and competed for Denmark until 2018 before switching to Canada. They represented the Maple Leaf at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, won a national championship in 2023 and finished ninth at last year's worlds in Montreal — their last competition.
Cizeron, meanwhile, won five world titles and 2022 Olympic gold with longtime partner Gabriella Papadakis, but hasn't competed since 2021-22. Papadakis and Cizeron officially announced the end of their partnership in December.
Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron first met at a skating camp in Oberstdorf, Germany, when she was 15 and he was 13. Their friendship grew when Cizeron moved to Montreal 11 years ago to join the Ice Academy of Montreal, a renowned program run by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon.
With both skaters in limbo, Cizeron floated the idea of teaming up over dinner in November.
"Laurence and I were a little bit in the same situation, in the sense that we both had the option to retire," said Cizeron, who joined Fournier Beaudry on the phone from Paris. "Was a bit of a crazy idea, it seemed at the time, but it had been in my head for a few weeks already, so I thought I would share it with her."
After weeks of conversations, the duo officially joined forces around Christmas.
"I was in a part of my career where my career kind of ended abruptly. It was put on pause," Fournier Beaudry said. "When Guillaume gave me that proposition, I was really surprised, but also very flattered to have that suggestion from my best friend and from the best skater in the world."
Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron first hit the ice together in January in Montreal, where they'll continue to train despite representing France.
Fournier Beaudry said the process to gain French citizenship is already underway. She and Cizeron believe her family ties to France — her grandfather has been an official resident for more than 10 years — and the country's relationship with Quebec work in their favour.
The application involves "a lot of paperwork," keeping Fournier Beaudry busy off the ice along with her part-time cognitive neuroscience studies at the Université de Montréal.
While the International Skating Union has more flexible rules, athletes must be citizens of the country they represent to compete at the Olympics.
"We're doing everything we can and we're hoping that we'll be able to compete at the Olympics," Fournier Beaudry said. "But we will start with the regular skating season from September."
Fournier Beaudry added that the 2030 Games in the French Alps is also on the table — if their health and passion endures.
But for now, they're focused on next season and striving to become one of the best teams in ice dance.
"We have a lot of ambition," Cizeron said. "The reason why we want to keep skating is because we love training at the highest level.
"There's a lot of unknown in this project, we're kind of taking a big leap of faith, and we believe in our potential, and we're competitors at our core."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
