Questions are building over the Olympic ice dance results after scoring details revealed a wide gap between one French judge’s marks and the rest of the panel.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of Team USA finished second on Wednesday, losing gold by 1.43 points to France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who posted a total of 225.82. Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier took bronze.
The controversy hinges on French judge Jezabel Dabouis. In the free dance, she awarded the French pair 137.45 points, the second-highest mark from any judge. She gave the Americans 129.74, making her the only judge not to score them above 130. The gap between her marks for France and the United States was nearly eight points, the largest margin on the panel, reports the Daily Mail.
Five of nine judges ranked the Americans first in the free dance. Four placed France on top. In the rhythm dance, Dabouis gave France 93.34 — the highest score awarded — and scored the US at 87.6, nearly six points lower.
No judge ranked the US below second overall. Two judges, from Great Britain and Germany, placed France third in one segment. Still, the French pair edged ahead by 0.46 points at the top of the standings. The American judge was not on the rhythm dance scoring panel.
After the event, Bates said, “It was our gold medal performance. It was the best that we could skate.” Chock added: “We put out our very best skates every time we took Olympic ice... they were flawless for us. We couldn’t have skated any better, and we’re super proud with how we took the ice, how we handled ourselves every time. The rest is out of our hands.”
Online reaction has included calls for an investigation. The incident recalls the 2002 Salt Lake City judging scandal involving French official Marie-Reine Le Gougne, who was later suspended by the International Skating Union.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of Team USA finished second on Wednesday, losing gold by 1.43 points to France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who posted a total of 225.82. Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier took bronze.
The controversy hinges on French judge Jezabel Dabouis. In the free dance, she awarded the French pair 137.45 points, the second-highest mark from any judge. She gave the Americans 129.74, making her the only judge not to score them above 130. The gap between her marks for France and the United States was nearly eight points, the largest margin on the panel, reports the Daily Mail.
Five of nine judges ranked the Americans first in the free dance. Four placed France on top. In the rhythm dance, Dabouis gave France 93.34 — the highest score awarded — and scored the US at 87.6, nearly six points lower.
No judge ranked the US below second overall. Two judges, from Great Britain and Germany, placed France third in one segment. Still, the French pair edged ahead by 0.46 points at the top of the standings. The American judge was not on the rhythm dance scoring panel.
After the event, Bates said, “It was our gold medal performance. It was the best that we could skate.” Chock added: “We put out our very best skates every time we took Olympic ice... they were flawless for us. We couldn’t have skated any better, and we’re super proud with how we took the ice, how we handled ourselves every time. The rest is out of our hands.”
Online reaction has included calls for an investigation. The incident recalls the 2002 Salt Lake City judging scandal involving French official Marie-Reine Le Gougne, who was later suspended by the International Skating Union.
