Papadakis and Cizeron, the solid gold skaters, made their debuts in Clermont-Ferrand

Four minutes and thirty seconds was enough. It is to a composition by Gabriel Fauré that Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron won gold this Monday at the Beijing Olympics. Four years after the disappointment of Pyeongchang and a loose dress, the French have taken their revenge. At 26 and 27, they won with a total of 226.98 pointsworld record at stake! At the Clermont-Ferrand ice rinkthe ice dance club has dozens of fans. That’s where they started. Gabriella put on skates when she was four years old. Guillaume arrived some time later.

The Papadakis / Cizeron legend

The Clermont-Ferrand ice dancing club has 150 members aged 3 to 65. Among them, young people who compete. This is the case of Mélody, 12 years old. The young girl did not miss anything from the couple’s performance in Beijing: “I love their glide, their perfection. I love everything!” she confides. Like her, Toinette, 13, is an unconditional: “Olympic champions, it’s the title they lacked. _Everything is beautiful with them_it’s a model !” Do these teenage girls dream of such a journey? “Yes, but I will never have the same level!” answers Chloé, 15 years old.

“It’s a great pride for our club” highlights Dominique Imbert, the president, who sent her congratulations to the champions. As for Sylvie Fournier, who trains the youngsters, she sees stars in the eyes of her apprentice skaters: “They want to do the same as the champions, it’s normal”.

From Clermont-Ferrand to the podiums

It was at home, in Cournon d’Auvergne, in front of her television, that Catherine Papadakis followed the competition. A particularly intense moment: “It is a great relief, a great happiness. A gold medal is the holy grail.”

Catherine is Gabriella’s mother, and it was she who created the magical duo with Guillaume. At the time, she trained young people in Clermont-Ferrand. The torque works very quickly. The rink only has eyes for them. And during their travels, the other trainers discover incredibly gifted, elegant and precise teenagers. “There is such accuracy, such sensitivity. Not a gesture that is made by chance. We look and we say to ourselves that it is the class” emphasizes Katherine.