Gabriella Papadakis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gabriella Papadakis
Papadakis at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games
Personal information
Country represented	France
Born	(1995-05-10) 10 May 1995 (age 30) Clermont-Ferrand, France
Residence	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height	1.66 m
Partner	Guillaume Cizeron (c. 2004–2024)
Coach	Romain Haguenauer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Catherine Pinard
Skating club	Clermont-Ferrand Gadbois Centre
Began skating	1998
Retired	December 3, 2024

Gabriella Maria Papadakis (born May 10, 1995) is a retired French ice dancer. She competed with her partner, Guillaume Cizeron. Together, they achieved many amazing things in figure skating.

They won a gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics. They also earned a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Gabriella and Guillaume became World champions five times (in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2022). They were also European champions five times in a row (from 2015 to 2019).

The pair won the Grand Prix Final twice, in 2017 and 2019. They also won the French national championship seven times. Early in their career, they won silver medals at the 2012 Junior Grand Prix Final and the 2013 World Junior Championships.

Papadakis and Cizeron broke world records 34 times. This is the most records broken by any figure skating team since 2004. They hold the current world records for the short dance, free dance, and total score. They were the first team to score over 90 points in the rhythm dance. They also broke the 120-point and 130-point barriers in the free dance. They were the first to score over 200, 210, and 220 points in their total score.

People often praised their graceful and musical skating style. Their programs were inspired by modern dance. Commentators often highlighted their excellent skating skills.

About Gabriella's Life

Gabriella Papadakis was born on May 10, 1995, in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Her mother, Catherine, is a skating coach. Her father, Emmanuel, owns a food truck in Texas. Her father's family comes from Crete, Greece.

In July 2014, Gabriella moved from France to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She moved to continue training with her coach, Romain Haguenauer.

In 2023, Gabriella shared that she was seeing a therapist regularly. She said it was "the best thing" she had ever done.

Gabriella's Skating Career

Starting Out in Skating

Gabriella and Guillaume Cizeron started skating together when they were about 9 or 10 years old. This happened in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Gabriella's mother, Catherine Papadakis, suggested they team up. She coached them from the very beginning.

Junior International Competitions

They first competed in the ISU Junior Grand Prix series in the 2009–10 season. They placed 15th at the event in the United States. At the 2010 World Junior Championships, they finished 22nd.

In the 2010–11 season, they placed 4th at the Junior Grand Prix in France. They then won a bronze medal at their second event in Austria. They improved to 12th place at the 2011 World Junior Championships.

For the 2011–12 season, Papadakis and Cizeron finished 4th at both of their Junior Grand Prix events. They moved up to 5th place at the 2012 World Junior Championships.

Junior World Silver Medal and Coaching Change

In June 2012, Gabriella and Guillaume decided to move to Lyon. They started training with new coaches: Muriel Zazoui, Romain Haguenauer, and Olivier Schoenfelder. They competed in their fourth Junior Grand Prix season. They won their first title at the JGP France. Then they won another gold medal at JGP Austria. There, they achieved their personal best score of 142.08 points.

Their wins qualified them for the 2012–13 Junior Grand Prix Final in Sochi, Russia. Papadakis and Cizeron won the silver medal in Sochi. They finished behind Russian ice dancers Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin. At the 2013 World Junior Championships in Milan, they placed second in the short dance. Gabriella sprained her ankle before the free dance. Despite this, they completed their performance. They placed third in the free dance and second overall.

First Senior Season

Papadakis and Cizeron moved up to the senior level for the 2013–14 season. They made their senior international debut at the International Cup of Nice, winning gold. They competed in two senior Grand Prix events. They placed fifth at the 2013 Trophée Eric Bompard and seventh at the 2013 Rostelecom Cup. They were called to the 2014 European Championships when another team withdrew. They finished 15th at that event. They placed 13th at the 2014 World Championships.

World and European Champions (2014–15)

In July 2014, Papadakis and Cizeron moved to Montreal, Canada. Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Pascal Denis joined Haguenauer as their coaches. Their free dance was inspired by a ballet called Le Parc. They started their season by winning the 2014 Skate Canada Autumn Classic.

In November, they won their first Grand Prix gold medal at the 2014 Cup of China. They then won their second Grand Prix title at the 2014 Trophée Éric Bompard. This qualified them for their first Grand Prix Final. At the Final in December 2014, they placed third overall.

In January 2015, they won gold at the 2015 European Championships in Stockholm. In March, they competed at the World Championships in Shanghai, China. They finished first overall. They were the first French skaters to win a World title since 2008. They were also the youngest World champions in ice dance in 49 years.

Second World and European Titles (2015–16)

On August 28, 2015, Gabriella had a concussion after a fall in practice. Because of this, Papadakis and Cizeron had to withdraw from some events. Doctors were unsure how long her recovery would take. Gabriella said she could not go out, skate, read, or have conversations.

They returned to competition in December, winning their second French national title. The next month, at the 2016 European Championships, they won their second European title.

In March, Gabriella's knee was cut by a skate blade during practice. She needed eight stitches but resumed training soon after. At the 2016 World Championships in Boston, they placed first in the short dance. They set a world record score in the free program. They won the competition with a personal best overall score. The duo withdrew from their final competition of the season because Gabriella had a mild case of mononucleosis.

World Silver and Third European Title (2016–17)

In the 2016–17 Grand Prix series, Papadakis and Cizeron won gold at the 2016 Trophée de France. They won silver at the 2016 NHK Trophy. In December 2016, they received the silver medal at the Grand Prix Final.

Papadakis and Cizeron at the 2018 Winter Olympics

In January 2017, they won their third European title at the European Championships. At the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships, they won the free dance with a new world record. However, they took the silver medal overall.

Olympic Silver and More World/European Titles (2017–18)

For the 2017-18 Grand Prix season, Papadakis and Cizeron competed at the Cup of China and the Internationaux de France. At the Cup of China, they set new personal bests and world records. They became the first team to score over 200 points. At the 2017 Internationaux de France, they set more world records.

Papadakis and Cizeron won their first Grand Prix Final. They also won their fourth European Championships ice dancing title in a row.

At the 2018 Winter Olympics, they finished second in the short dance. They placed first in the free skate with a world record score. This earned them the silver medal. They finished the season at the World Championships. There, they claimed their third World title with world record scores.

Fourth World and Fifth European Titles (2018–19)

For the 2018-2019 Grand Prix Season, they had to withdraw from NHK Trophy due to Guillaume's back injury. At the 2018 Internationaux de France, they won the gold medal and set new world records.

After winning their fifth French national title, they won the 2019 European Championships for the fifth time in a row. They set new world records there. They then won their fourth World title at the 2019 World Championships. They set new world records in all segments. They ended the season at the 2019 World Team Trophy. They set new world records in the free skating and overall score. Team France finished fourth.

European Silver (2019–20)

Papadakis and Cizeron debuted their programs at Master's de Patinage. Then they competed at the 2019 Internationaux de France. They set a world record in the rhythm dance. They won the event by a large margin. At 2019 NHK Trophy, they set another world record for the rhythm dance, scoring over 90 points. They won the free dance and qualified for the Grand Prix Final.

At the Grand Prix Final, Gabriella had a small stumble. They still placed first in the rhythm dance. They won the free dance and their second Grand Prix Final gold.

After another French national title, they competed at the 2020 European Championships. They were in first place after the rhythm dance. However, they lost the free dance and finished with a silver medal. This was their first defeat since the 2018 Winter Olympics. The 2020 World Championships were cancelled due to the pandemic.

Challenges During the Pandemic (2020–21)

The pandemic affected international travel. Papadakis and Cizeron were assigned to the 2020 Internationaux de France, but it was cancelled. Both skaters got sick in July 2020. They were off the ice for three weeks.

In November 2020, it was reported that they would skip the French and European championships. They wanted to focus on the World Championships. In January 2021, they announced they would withdraw from the World Championships. They decided to focus on the 2021/2022 season and the 2022 Olympics.

Olympic Champions (2021–22)

As the Olympic season began, Papadakis and Cizeron were unsure if it would be their last. For their rhythm dance, they worked with a choreographer on a style called waacking. They spent six months learning about the dance's history.

They started the year at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy, winning gold. They then won gold at the 2021 Gran Premio d'Italia and the 2021 Internationaux de France. Their results qualified them for the Grand Prix Final, but it was cancelled.

After winning the French national title again, they were named to the French Olympic team. They chose to skip the 2022 European Championships to avoid health risks before the Olympics.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, they started the dance event with a record-setting rhythm dance score. They also won the free dance, setting a new world record for total score. They achieved their goal of winning the gold medal.

Papadakis and Cizeron finished the season at the 2022 World Championships in Montpellier. They won the rhythm dance by a world record score. In the free dance, they set another world record. They also set a world record for total score, taking their fifth World title. The entire podium consisted of skaters from their training academy.

In June 2022, Papadakis and Cizeron announced they would take a one-year break. They did not rule out returning for the 2026 Winter Olympics. They extended their break in April 2023. They officially announced their retirement as a competitive ice dancing team on December 3, 2024. Gabriella shared that the main reason for their split was that her values no longer matched those of her partner and coaches. She felt her training environment was no longer healthy.

After Competing

In 2023, Gabriella Papadakis started creating programs for other figure skaters. She has worked with French women's singles skaters, Lorine Schild and Léa Serna. In January 2025, she worked as an Ice Dance analyst for NBC's coverage of the 2025 U.S. Championships.

In 2024, Gabriella began supporting the idea of same-sex partnerships in competitive figure skating. She teamed up with her friend and former training mate, Madison Hubbell. They started skating together professionally. The duo performed as a team at 2025 Art on Ice.

World Record Scores

Skating Programs

Papadakis and Cizeron at the 2018 European Championships

Papadakis and Cizeron at the 2013 Trophée Éric Bompard

(with Cizeron)

Competition Results

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Cizeron

Detailed Results

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals awarded for team results only.

Personal Bests are in bold. World record scores are in italics.

With Cizeron

Senior Career Results

Record in 2017-2018 Season marks the historical world records set before the introduction of the +5/-5 GOE judging system

Papadakis and Cizeron at the 2018 European Championships

Papadakis and Cizeron at the 2014–15 Grand Prix Final

Junior Career Results

Papadakis and Cizeron at the 2012 World Junior Championships

See also

In Spanish: Gabriella Papadakis para niños