The ice dance competition at Milan-Cortina 2026 reached a thrilling conclusion, with a podium of the highest quality.

American husband and wife Evan Bates and Madison Chock - gold medallists in the team event and three-time world champions - took silver, with bronze going to Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada.

The champions - who scored highest in both rhythm and free dance, the two segments of competition - are a duo who only competed for the first time last November but instantly clicked.

Guillaume Cizeron, 31, won the ice dance title at Beijing 2022, and his new partnership with 33-year-old Laurence Fournier Beaudry has earned him back-to-back golds.

Since partnering, Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry have now won five of the six major competitions they have entered, including the 2026 European Championship in Sheffield - and now the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics.

"It was a lot of work, but from the beginning we had a lot of similarities in the way we trained and approached things," Cizeron told the post-event news conference on why he and Fournier Baudry have clicked so quickly.

"It was also a chance to evolve, it was playful, we had a lot of fun from the beginning."

Their beautiful free dance to the soundtrack from The Whale followed a technically flawless performance to Madonna's Vogue in the rhythm dance. The combined scores of both segments decided the medals.

While the free dance allows couples greater freedom in their routines, the rhythm dance contains required elements for more direct comparison.

The judges determined the French pair to had a better technical score on their step sequence than the Americans - hence their slight advantage of 0.46 points going into the free dance.

The objectivity of figure skating judging is a controversy as old as the Olympics and a story for another day.

So there was plenty of intrigue on the ice - and that is nothing compared to the drama off it.

Fournier Baudry competed for Canada and Denmark before being rushed into French citizenship last year in order to find the champion a new partner.

"I wouldn't be here without the support of the Canadian federation, and the training centre from where we have worked," she said when asked how much of her gold medal belonged to Canada.

"We have amazing coaches, the best of the best are in Montreal."

It comes after Cizeron split with Gabriella Papadakis, with whom he won the Beijing 2022 title, five world titles and his skating partner since they were children.

The split has been extremely acrimonious. Earlier this year, she released a memoir describing an "unbalanced" relationship with Cizeron in which she said she felt "under his grip" and accused him of being "controlling" and "demanding".

Cizeron called this a "smear campaign" and "false information", and is taking legal action. Papadakis, who has worked in figure skating broadcasting since 2024, was fired as an analyst for NBC before these Games because of a "conflict of interest" as a result of her memoir.

"It's been quite the challenge," he said when asked by BBC Sport how it has been preparing for an Olympics amid so much distraction.

"From the beginning we have tried to create a bubble and support each other. We think the love we have for each other and for the sport has drawn us through, kept our heads on our shoulders.

"Now we are enjoying those moments, we don't want them taken away from us."

As for Fournier Beaudry, she was not available to step in as Cizeron's partner by chance.

She was previously partnered with Canadian skater Nikolaj Sorensen, with whom she is also in a relationship.

But in 2025 Sorensen was given a six-year suspension following a sexual assault allegation dating from 2012. The allegation relates to his behaviour towards an American skater coach and does not involve Fournier Beaudry.

Sorensen has called the allegations "false", while Fournier Beaudry has publicly supported her boyfriend.

In the Netflix documentary Glitter and Gold, which follows the international figure skating tour, she said: "I know my boyfriend 100%. I know him."

Her stance has been criticised by the anonymous complainant, who said the comments "create a dangerous environment for skaters who need to report abuse".

Fournier Beaudry gained French citizenship in November and has since refused to comment further on Sorensen.

They may not be the most universally popular Olympic champions - but on Wednesday evening in Milan, they were the best on the ice.