In the mixed zone of the Capital Indoor Stadium, Guillaume Cizeron hugs the stuffed animal that is given to the winners on the ceremonial podium.
“That one is not for sale,” smiles the tricolor skater, who has just been crowned Olympic champion in ice dancing with his accomplice Gabriella Papadakis.
The gold of a life...
Can you describe your feelings?
GABRIELLA PAPADAKIS.
(Laughter)
I don't know what you're talking about… It's quite indescribable.
Time no longer really existed.
Before skating, I couldn't believe we hadn't skated and won yet.
And after skating, I couldn't believe we had already skated… Everything was mixed up and it was a lot of relief.
In fact it is ineffable.
WILLIAM CIZERON.
Oh my God.
It's like being in a washing machine of emotions.
There are so many little moments that I try to anchor in my memory.
There are a lot of looks with our coaches, between us.
Microseconds that really meant a lot.
I cannot describe a particular moment.
We have rarely seen you so moved...
GC
I restrained myself from screaming a little.
We've been dreaming of this for four years or more.
The fact that this is happening, I have no words.
Four years ago, we knew we were already capable of it, it was our goal and it didn't happen.
This time we wanted it to happen.
#PatinageArtistique: The French Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, silver medalists at the 2018 Olympics, were crowned Olympic champions in ice dancing at the Games of #Beijing2022 #AFP #AFPSports pic.twitter.com/iE61gakEcJ
— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) February 14, 2022
It was the only medal you were missing...
GP
For sure, she was a lot heavier than she was four years ago.
It is the symbol of something and on these Games it is the symbol of many more things.
There was a lot that rested on that moment.
All the work, everything we've been through in recent years, our whole career.
It's quite amazing, the weight of this medal...
Your coach Romain Hagenauer says that over the years you have gone from artists to competitors…
GC
We have a competitive soul, we love competition, it gives us the energy to surpass ourselves.
We have always won a little like that, without necessarily wanting to.
It takes a lot more courage and it's a lot scarier to want to win and to work for, and to risk being disappointed.
Four years ago, we didn't really have the courage to assume that we wanted to win, that we were ready to take the risk of losing.
Over the past four years, we have surpassed ourselves psychologically in working for a specific goal and four years for seven minutes
(Editor's note: between short and free program)
, it's a lot of risks!
You take the risk of it screwing up and there's nothing scarier.
So there is much more pride in having succeeded?
GP
Yes.
I really realized it at this event more than ever.
Looking at others, I have never been so stressed in my entire life.
Those seven minutes carried so much weight!
Behind there were so many sacrifices.
I had so much respect for the other competitors and at the same time for us as well.
It was quite fantastic to feel.
🇬🇧 GABRIELLA PAPADAKIS & GUILLAUME CIZERON OLYMPIC CHAMPIOOOOOOOONS
🥇 ✅ European Champions
✅ World
Champions ✅ Olympic Champions pic.twitter.com/975JjcewiK
— Henriques (@BrigitHenriques) February 14, 2022
How did you manage not to let yourself be overwhelmed by stress?
GC
Honestly, it was really a spiritual journey.
For the short program, I was much more stressed, about ten times more than usual.
I never felt that, I wanted to vomit.
GP
Me, I thought I was going to pass out and I had never felt that way in our entire career.
GC
We are really trained, we have a background on which we can rely.
It's not just me, us, there's our whole team.
It's a mental battle.
You just have to believe that it's going to be fine.
It's faith!
