Gilles and Poirier: Long Path to Olympic Bronze

You look at Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier – nametag Olympic bronze medalists – and you rub your eyes.

They were always a couple of goofballs who didn’t care what anybody thought of their creative schemes. Now they are much more. Or rather, the world now recognizes them as much more. On the Olympic stage, the world has finally noticed.

Poirier started his career as hyperactive as a puppy on a sock. As a junior, he competed not only in ice dancing, but pairs and men’s singles. He juggled them all for several years. One thing was true: this kid could skate. He’d had more practice than anybody.

Finally ice dancing won.

Now, after 15 years together as partners who can reach for each other without searching, Gilles and Poirier served up a truly Olympic moment, skating a free dance to “Starry Starry Night” leaving spectators, commentators, people everywhere in tears. It was a joyous, poignant skate. They treated their bronze medal as if it was gold. In the medal ceremony, they jumped up and down on the lowest podium, ecstatic. No one knew what to expect after a season of controversial judging moments.

Crazily enough, support for Gilles and Poirier’s Olympic breakthrough, came from the most unusual places. Ekaterina Bobrova, a retired Russian ice dancer, posted: “After Piper and Paul’s free dance I just don’t want to breathe. My hands are shaking.

“I’m going to cry now. It was just incredible. I’m out of words. I’m insanely happy for these two. They unbelievably deserved it.”

From esteemed Russian master dance coach Tatiana Tarasova, who always says what she thinks: “At last, the Canadian team, who for many years deserved to be first, second or third, won the bronze. Previously, they were left with nothing.”

Former Russian Olympic ice dancer Ilya Averbuck posted that he would have placed Gilles and Poirier above Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who expected to win gold, but took silver with unhappy faces. (A Spanish judge did place Gilles and Poirier second in the free dance, ahead of Chock and Bates.) The Americans asked for a review or an investigation of the judging of the event, but the ISU has rejected that request, saying that it stands by the judging at the Olympics.

The Americans protested that in the free dance, French judge, Jezabel Dabouis favoured French team Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron by nearly eight points over three-time world champions Chock and Bates, apparently so large that if her score were taken out, the Americans would win gold. (High and low scores are thrown out.) And she did give the French huge scores. So did others.

The issue is completely ironic, considering Chock and Bates have benefitted throughout the past quad on scores that favoured them. (Canadians are always on the wrong side of these machinations.) Case in point, Chock fell on a twizzle at the 2023 world championships, and yet they earned a personal best score. At times, they had not had the highest base value on elements, but scores are pumped up with huge GOEs. Chock and Bates have huge political power.

Also, the machinations by ice dance technical committee chairman Shawn Rettstatt – an American – who appointed himself technical controller at the Finlandia Trophy last November, stripped marks from most competitors – except Chock and Bates and a second American team. What did Chock and Bates think that was all about? Rettstatt was not on a panel at the Olympics.

As for the Olympic champions Fournier-Beaudry and Cizeron, they made several mistakes in the free dance (Cizeron stepped out of a twizzle, both of them had bobbles on a serpentine step sequence and Cizeron had difficulties with a rotational lift.) Tech controllers lowered levels of difficulty for these mistakes, but judges did not lower GOEs for them. The French judge wasn’t the only one to give them high marks for the execution of their elements.

Still many experts believe that even with the mistakes, the French deserved to win. But others point out a lot of two-foot skating, and easy lifts. If you want to see extremely difficult lifts, look at Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck of Spain, sixth in the free dance.

Or you could look at Gilles and Poirier, who do a combination lift at the end of their free dance. The first one, a rotational lift, has Gilles parked on Poirier’s back. But during the free dance, it looked as if she did not get up into the correct position. Still nice, but not helpful for the next lift.

Before they went into the second one, a stationary lift, Poirier visibly shifted her weight up higher on his back, important because they do this lift with no hands touching each other and Gilles has to be in the correct balance spot to do it. Poirier saved them from disaster, and somehow had the ability to do this second lift rotating in the OPPOSITE direction, as planned. How did he possibly find the momentum? They got level fours and high GOE on it. It was made even more difficult with the adjustment.

That was truly Olympic. They were not to be stopped.

So the silver medalists weren’t happy, and the gold medalists, as Adam Rippon says, have a darkness about them that just won’t go away. Fournier-Beaudry was previously paired with boyfriend Nikolaj Sorensen, who was banned for six years by Canada’s Safe Sport system for an alleged rape of an American coach back in 2012. He had that lifted since he represented Denmark at the time, and Canada did not have jurisdiction over him. The case is still up in the air. Fournier Beaudry has always supported him.

And then Cizeron’s name came up in a book, just released last month by former Olympic champion  partner Gabrielle Papadakis, who claims that Cizeron was controlling and dismissive and at one point, she didn’t want to skate alone with him. Cizeron disputes Papadakis’ words, and when he threatened  legal action, Papadakis lost her job as a commentator with NBC.

In sharp contrast to both grumpy top teams, Gilles and Poirier brought a fresh purity and glow to the Olympic event. As in the free dance, the Canadian team had to avert disaster in the rhythm dance when Poirier’s wrist band fell off and parked itself on Gilles’ leg, stuck with Velcro. Had the band fallen onto the ice, they would have received a one-point penalty, and that would have thrown them into fourth position, behind British couple Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, who had been defeating them all season. They were separated by only .71 points in the rhythm dance. Gilles saw the wristband and cleverly snatched it and held it behind her back during the final pose. If you had not been paying attention, you never would have noticed.

The last hurdle to Gilles and Poirier’s bronze was the British team of Fear and Gibson, not known for their skating skills. They were aided all season by British judges who pushed up their scores and placements and pushed down competitors in their way, most notably Gilles and Poirier and multiple world medalists from Italy Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, who are very precise, skilled skaters.

The Italian skaters didn’t even qualify for the Grand Prix Final, although the British did (and defeated Gilles and Poirier.)   After their second Grand Prix, their Italian coach – and former world champion – Barbara Fusar-Poli – had a stroke and spent a month in hospital. She was back in action at the European championships where her team won the silver medal – ahead of the Brits. Stress? The Olympic were in their hometown. It would be a nightmare if they didn’t have a chance.

British judge Nicholas Russell was on the rhythm dance panel at the Olympics. And he did what he had been doing all along. At the 2025 European championships, Russell placed Fear and Gibson first in the rhythm dance, more than five points above the average. They were third in the consensus.

As for Guignard and Fabbri, he placed them fifth, although on the actual scoreboard, they were first. Russell’s scores for them were about 6 ½ points below the average range.

Take a trip back to the NHK Trophy in Japan last November. Fear and Gibson won this event. In the rhythm dance, Russell placed them first, slightly above the average. But he placed Guignard and Fabbri fifth, with scores more than five points lower than average. They finished second in this portion of the event.

In the free dance, Fear and Gibson won that too. Russell had them first, about a point more than the norm. Guignard and Fabbri finished second, although Russell placed them 11.34 points behind the Brits. It was after this event that Fusar-Poli had a stroke.

Grand Prix Final, just two months ago? In the rhythm dance, Gilles and Poirier finished third, but Russell placed them fifth. He put Fear and Gibson second to Chock and Bates, and ahead of Fournier-Beaudry and Cizeron. He placed the Lithuanian team third, but that’s another story.

In the free dance, Russell placed Gilles and Poirier fifth, behind Fear and Gibson, who he placed third, four to five points ahead of the Canadians. He placed Chock and Bates first, and Fournier-Beaudry and Cizeron in fourth. There, he placed the Lithuanians fourth ahead of the Canadians.

Yet the order of finish was 1. Chock and Bates, 2 Fournier-Beaudry and Cizeron second. 3. Gilles and Poirier third; 4. Fear and Gibson, 5 Lithuanians.

And at the Olympics in Milan, believe it or not, Russell was also a judge. Judge No. 3. In the rhythm dance, he placed Gilles and Poirier seventh, while the consensus was third. Fear and Gibson, he placed third, more than 6 1/2 points ahead of the Canadians. He was one of only three to place Chock and Bates first. He placed the French third.

And he took another dive at Canadian skaters, by placing Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha only 16^th, while they were actually ninth. Lajoie and Lagha are superior skaters to Fear and Gibson.

Earlier in the season, at the Grand Prix of France, another British judge, who had done only domestic competitions the year before, managed to qualify to work at this Grand Prix. (How can that be possible?) He dumped the Italian team to fifth. And he raised up the British and the Lithuanians. But that movie is a whole other box of popcorn.

And then the magic happened. At the Olympics, there is a pool of 13 judges. Nine are drawn to the rhythm dance panel. For the free, the four who didn’t get on the rhythm dance panel get onto the free dance panel, and then the other positions are decided by a draw.

The British judge did not draw onto the free dance panel.

But neither did the German judge, who had ranked Gilles and Poirier first in the rhythm dance. But now the British had no protection and the Canadians lost a detractor.

In the free dance, Fear stumbled out of a twizzle and almost fell. It was the most tentative  they had skated in a long time. They were slow in their one-foot turns and off synch.  The British finished only 12^th in the free dance – by far the biggest drop in the event – and 7^th overall. They were 13.42 points behind Gilles and Poirier, and 5.26 points behind Guignard and Fabbri in fourth.

For Gilles and Poirier, the free dance was an unforgettable moment. They had taken their Vincent routine from seven years ago and revamped it. Some thought it a foolish idea, although many skaters have reverted to old programs for this Olympics.

Over the season, it has become seamless. And it reached people. And that has long been their goal.

Poirier made to his first Olympics in 2010 with Vanessa Crone, and finished 14^th. They seemed to be on a stairway to heaven, but Crone decided to retire, and Poirier found another partner: Texan-born Gilles, a perky blond with a love of life and a wide smile.

In their third season, they and coaches Carol Lane and Juris Razguljevs created a Hitchcock routine that set them on a path to what they did at the Olympics. And it was dark. Wearing black, they skated to a Hitchcock soundtrack, – using even frightening “Psycho” music (who would do that?) – but created an engrossing routine with lots of innovative lifts and elements. Poirier was to play the director, Gilles one of Hitchcock’s blonds. At the end, Poirier wears as sinister a look as he can muster. It was their first little masterpiece of many. That was 12 years ago.

However early in the season, Poirier seriously broke his ankle, and they didn’t start skating again until September. Hampered by this injury, they played catch-up all season, and finished only fourth at the national championships. And they missed a trip to the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Gilles had just received her Canadian citizenship in December.

Hitchcock worked so well, it created a resolve: if they wanted to crack the inner circle at the top, they had to become storytellers that would draw viewers in. Capture those hearts, and they would be steps closer to their goal. Over the years, they have done memorable routines to James Bond, Vincent (Part 1), Both Sides Now and The Long and Winding Road.

It took them years. They missed their first shot at an Olympics in 2014 and wore long faces for a couple of minutes, then won silver at Four Continents.

But for seven long years from 2014 to 2021, they were bogged down in placements from sixth to eighth. They were clearly frustrated. But they kept going.

In 2022, they used their memorable free dance routine to “The Long and Winding Road,” for the Beijing Games and finished – eighth. The Long and Winding Road was a tribute to the path they had taken to the Olympics . It sounded final. After that season, Gilles and Poirier considered retirement but finally decided they would continue and take one year at a time. They did not commit to the 2026 Olympics.

Had they stopped, we would have missed out on some of their greatest works: “Evita”, “Wuthering Heights”, and “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” Not counting their rhythm dances.

By this time, they had won two world bronze medals and two silver.

Three years ago, Gilles was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. At the time, she did not envision an Olympics like this one.

“But that’s what’s so amazing about Paul and I,” she told reporters. “We are people first, athletes second and I think that is what has always guided us. “I think it’s an example of anyone going through a dark time mental health challenges or health issues – that you can do hard things, no matter what.

“If you can just get out of bed keep believing in yourself and keep chasing your dream, anything can happen.”

They faced the Olympic arena with calmness, knowing they were prepared. The calmness kept them present through every step.

“It was such a wonderful skate and we felt we had the whole crowd with us from start to finish,” Poirier said.

The bronze medal means everything to them.

“Paul and I have chosen time and time again to continue, to show people who we are on and off the ice.” Gilles said. “We feel these raw emotions that people can truly connect with, seeing a piece of themselves in action. It truly means everything.”