None of the three pairs of Canadian figure skaters who had qualified for the free skate made it to the dance podium on Sunday night in Beijing.
Updated at 0:44
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, the Canadian duo with the most medal hopes, showed up on the ice with the intention of improving their 6and rank obtained in the rhythmic dance. They performed their tricks gracefully to the sound of the song The Long and Winding Road, but struggled to get into position for a carry, which significantly affected their score. The partners also seemed disappointed when they left the rink. The judges awarded them 121.26 points for a cumulative score of 204.78, which placed them 2ndand temporary rank.
The next five couples being the best in the standings, they beat Gilles and Poirier one by one, who finally slipped to 7and rung.
Absolutely dazzling, the French Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, who have been training in Montreal for several years, obtained a cumulative score of 226.98 points, winning the gold medal. It’s a well-deserved Olympic title for the duo, who won silver in PyeongChang in 2018.
The Russian Olympic Committee pair of Viktoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov (220.51 points) took silver, while Americans Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue (218.02 points) took bronze.
For their part, the Canadians Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Sørensen had finished the rhythmic dance at the 8and rank. They presented a program full of emotions, calm, explosive and colorful. Proud of what they had just accomplished, the skaters, who are married in life, kissed after their performance. They got 113.81 points for a cumulative score of 192.35, which placed them at 9and rank.
As for young Quebecers Zachary Lagha and Marjorie Lajoie, aged 22 and 21 respectively, they can be satisfied with their performance at their first Olympic Games. After a rhythmic dance that earned them 72.59 points and the 13and row, Quebecers offered an intense free program on the soundtrack of the film Rio. Fast and expressive, they executed their tricks very well. Their cumulative score of 181.02 points ranked them 13and rank.