Internationaux de France 2018 - Ice Dance Final - Great Performances

Gilles and Poirier's spectacular curve lift

The biggest news of the Internationaux de France was without a doubt that Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron were participating. The French couple had to withdraw from the NHK Trophy due to an injury, which scared a lot of their fans. Hopefully, their presence here meant that Guillaume is feeling much better.

The rhythmic dance saw Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov and Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier behind the French in podium placements, something that didn't seem likely to change at the start of the final.

The first couple was French - Adelina Galyavieva/Louis Thauron - and told us a French tale - Amelie. The choreography played a lot on the idea of getting lost and found. She was super expressive, stealing the attention from him, which might have been planned, given that this was the story of one of the most famous French female characters. Score: 90.84 -> 146.05.

The next skaters were Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius, who have recently teamed up to represent Lithuania. Their black elegant costumes were stunning; I loved how the same pattern was added differently to both their backs. They were not entirely in sync throughout the performance, probably a consequence of how new their partnership is. Score: 93.50 -> 153.27.

Russia's Popova & Mozgov

Betina Popova/Sergey Mozgov's transitions were full of the signs of the troubled relationship between The Master and Margarita. There were a lot of 'I hate you, I love you, Let me go' scenes. With spectacular lifts and a really good presentation, this programme became one of my favourites in France. Score: 99.54 -> 163.18.

After the dark tale of the Russians, Marie-Jaude Lauriault/Romain le Gac completely changed the atmosphere with Talking to the Moon and Uptown Funk. The French couple didn't have many lifts (in fact, there were only two) and those they did were not that difficult, but they made up for it with the step sequences. Score: 105.70 -> 170.64.

Rachel Parsons/Michael Parsons ended the first group on a poetical note. They had a very difficult transition between the first and second twizzles - sliding on their knees - which they also used to go into the combination spin - nice detail to connect the choreography. Score: 105.70 -> 171.17.

First from the second group, Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker's programme was very similar to that of the Americans who skated before them. The music was Trampoline Theme by The Irrepressibles. Their midline step sequence was rather simplistic, and they only got a level 2 for it. Score: 111.62 -> 181.47.

Olivia Smart/Adrian Diaz left with a bitter memory - him falling during a transition. Their choreographic step sequence stood out for being the most energetic part of the routine, but also incredibly in sync. Score: 97.53 -> 165.69.

Spain's Smart & Diaz, pictured here at Skate Canada 2018

It was only after Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier's choreographic sequence that I realised something that should have really been obvious to me the first time I saw this routine: Paul is supposed to be Vincent Van Gogh himself. Anyway, the Canadians pulled off a great performance. Score: 114.49 -> 188.74.

If I recall it well, Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron's past three seasons were dictated by classical music, so it felt good to see them skate to a modern theme. The choice of song did not take anything away from their emotional presentation, which is their trademark. Score: 132.65 -> 216.78.

I don't know anything about the health status of Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov, but the fact both her knees were wrapped (the left one in particular looked like something was definitely wrong with it) made me nervous throughout the routine. It ended without a hitch, so I hope she's alright. Score: 122.47 -> 200.38.

The rhythmic dance rankings did indeed stay the same after the final. France took home the gold without a care in the world, Russia secured the silver medal and Canada won the bronze.

The quote of the competition is: