Gabriella Papadakis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gabriella Papadakis |
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Papadakis at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games
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| Personal information | |
| Country represented | France |
| Born | 10 May 1995 Clermont-Ferrand, France |
| Residence | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Height | 1.66 m |
| Partner | Guillaume Cizeron |
| 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 great things in figure skating.
They are the 2022 Olympic champions. They also won a silver medal at the 2018 Olympics. Papadakis and Cizeron became World champions five times (in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2022). They also won the European championship five times in a row (2015–2019). They were also champions at the Grand Prix Final twice. Plus, they won the French national title seven times.
Papadakis and Cizeron broke world records 34 times. This is the most by any figure skating team since 2004. They hold the highest scores ever in the short dance, free dance, and overall total. 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 know them for their beautiful and musical skating style. Their programs often looked like modern dance. Commentators always praised their amazing skating skills.
Contents
About Gabriella's Life
Gabriella Papadakis was born in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Her birthday is May 10, 1995. Her mother, Catherine, is a skating coach. Her father, Emmanuel, owns a food truck in Texas. His family comes from Crete, Greece.
In 2014, Gabriella moved from France to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She moved there to keep training with her coach, Romain Haguenauer. He had moved to the Gadbois Centre.
Gabriella's Skating Journey
Starting Out in Skating
Gabriella and Guillaume Cizeron became skating partners when they were about 9 or 10 years old. This happened in Clermont-Ferrand. Gabriella's mother, Catherine Papadakis, suggested they team up. She coached them from the very beginning.
Junior Competitions
Papadakis and Cizeron first competed in the ISU Junior Grand Prix series in 2009–10. They placed 15th at their first event in the United States. They finished 22nd at the 2010 World Junior Championships.
In the 2010–11 season, they placed 4th at a Junior Grand Prix event in France. Then, they won a bronze medal in Austria. They improved to 12th place at the 2011 World Junior Championships.
For the 2011–12 season, they 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
In 2012, Papadakis and Cizeron moved to Lyon. They started training with new coaches. They won their first Junior Grand Prix title in France. They also won another gold medal in Austria. These wins helped them qualify for the 2012–13 Junior Grand Prix Final in Russia. They won the silver medal there.
At the 2013 World Junior Championships in Italy, they were second after the short dance. Gabriella sprained her ankle before the free dance. But they still finished the dance. They earned the silver medal overall.
Moving to Senior Level
Papadakis and Cizeron moved up to the senior level for the 2013–14 season. They won gold at their first senior event, the International Cup of Nice. They competed in two senior Grand Prix events. They finished 5th and 7th. They also competed at the 2014 European Championships, placing 15th. At the 2014 World Championships, they finished 13th.
Becoming World and European Champions
In July 2014, Papadakis and Cizeron moved to Montreal, Canada. Their coaches, Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, joined Haguenauer. 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 also won the 2014 Trophée Éric Bompard. This qualified them for their first Grand Prix Final. They won a bronze medal there.
In January 2015, they won their first gold medal at the 2015 European Championships. In March, they competed at the World Championships in China. They won the gold medal. 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.
More World and European Titles
On August 28, 2015, Gabriella had a concussion after a fall in practice. This made them withdraw from some events. She said it was hard to do anything during her recovery.
They returned to compete in December 2015. They won their second national title. The next month, they won their second European title at the 2016 European Championships.
In March 2016, Gabriella's knee was cut by a skate blade during practice. She needed stitches but returned to training quickly. They won their second World title at the 2016 World Championships in Boston. They set a new world record score in the free program. They won the competition with their best overall score.
Olympic Silver Medal
In the 2016–17 season, they won gold at the 2016 Trophée de France. They won silver at the 2016 NHK Trophy. In December 2016, they won a silver medal at the Grand Prix Final.
In January 2017, they won their third European title at the European Championships. At the 2017 World Championships, they won the free dance with a new world record. They took home the silver medal overall.
For the 2017-18 season, Papadakis and Cizeron competed in the Grand Prix series. They set new world records in all parts of their performances. They became the first team to score over 200 points. They won their first Grand Prix Final. They also won their fourth European title in a row.
At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, they finished second. Gabriella had a small costume problem during the short dance. But they set a world record in the free skate. They earned the silver medal. They finished the season by winning their third World title. They set new world records in all three parts of the competition.
More World and European Gold
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For the 2018-2019 season, they had to withdraw from one event due to Guillaume's back injury. But at the 2018 Internationaux de France, they won gold. They set new world records in both programs and overall.
After winning their fifth French national title, they won their fifth European Championship in a row. They set new world records there too. Then, they won their fourth World title at the 2019 World Championships. They set new world records again. They finished the season at the 2019 World Team Trophy. They set new world records in the free skating and overall score.
A Challenging Season
In the 2019–20 season, they debuted their programs. At the 2019 Internationaux de France, they set a world record in the rhythm dance. They won the event by a large margin. At the 2019 NHK Trophy, they set another world record. They became the first couple to score over 90 points in the rhythm dance. They won the free dance and qualified for the Grand Prix Final.
At the Grand Prix Final, Gabriella had a small stumble. But they still placed first in that part. They won the free dance and their second Grand Prix Final gold.
After winning another French national title, they competed at the 2020 European Championships. They were in first place after the rhythm dance. But they lost the free dance and finished second overall. This was the first time they had been beaten since the 2018 Winter Olympics. Gabriella said, "we can't always win and we accept that." The 2020 World Championships were cancelled due to the pandemic.
Olympic Champions!
The pandemic made travel difficult. Both skaters got COVID-19 in July 2020. This kept them off the ice for three weeks. They decided to skip some championships to focus on the 2022 Winter Olympics.
In January 2021, they announced they would withdraw from the World Championships. They wanted to focus on the 2021/2022 season and the 2022 Olympics. Guillaume said, "We have never known such a long time without skating."
For the Olympic season, they worked with a new choreographer. They studied a dance style called "waacking" for six months. They started the season by winning the gold medal at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy.
They won gold at their Grand Prix events, the 2021 Gran Premio d'Italia and the 2021 Internationaux de France. Their results qualified them for the Grand Prix Final. However, it was cancelled due to new pandemic rules.
After winning the French national title again, they were chosen for the French Olympic team. They decided not to go to the 2022 European Championships. They wanted to avoid any 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 won the free dance too. They set a new world record for their total score (226.98). They won the gold medal! Guillaume said, "The silver four years ago made us want the gold medal more than anything else."
Papadakis and Cizeron finished the season at the 2022 World Championships in France. They won the rhythm dance with a world record score. In the free dance, they set another world record. They also set a world record for total score. They took home their fifth World title.
In June 2022, Papadakis and Cizeron announced they would take a break from competing. They officially retired from competitive ice dance on December 3, 2024.
After Competing
In 2023, Gabriella Papadakis started creating skating programs for other skaters. She has worked with French women's singles skaters. In January 2025, she will be an ice dance expert for NBC's coverage of the US Figure Skating National Championships.
Images for kids
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Papadakis and Cizeron at the 2012 World Junior Championships
See also
In Spanish: Gabriella Papadakis para niños
