ByDANIEL MATTHEWS, US SENIOR SPORTS WRITERand CHRIS MELORE
Published:19:55 GMT, 12 February 2026|Updated:20:32 GMT, 12 February 2026
After all the leaps and pirouettes comes another twist in figure skating at the WinterOlympics, where a French judge has been accused of 'rigging' the competition to secure gold for her compatriots and condemnTeam USAto heartbreak.
On Wednesday in Milan, America's Madison Chock and Evan Bates weredramatically denied victoryby a French pair shrouded in controversy- despite believing they delivered a 'flawless, gold-medal performance.'
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron - whose personal lives have both been engulfed in scandal - won gold with a total score of 225.82, just 1.43 points more than Team USA. Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier won bronze.
Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron were seen sobbing after their victory but their win is now under the microscope after the scores of French judge Jezabel Dabouis emerged online.
In the free dance, on Wednesday night, Dabouis awarded Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron 137.45 points - the second-highest total of any judge. She was also the only judge not to award Team USA more than 130 points (129.74).
By comparison, the US and Chinese judges gave America's husband and wife pair - four-time Olympians - respective scores of 137.67 and 136.95.
Team USA were dramatically denied Olympic gold by France's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron in the figure skating
Madison Chock and Evan Bates were forced to settle for silver with a score of 224.49 in Milan
Source: Drudge Report
