Olympic ice dance champions Papadakis and Cizeron retire

PARIS (AP) — Olympic ice dance champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron announced their retirement on Tuesday following glittering careers.

The French figure skaters broke their own world record in claiming gold at the Beijing Games two years ago.

The 29-year-old Papadakis and the 30-year-old Cizeron also won an Olympic silver medal, five world championships and five European Championships.

“We could never have dreamed of a better career,” the pair said in a joint statement on Tuesday. “It’s with immense gratitude that we’ve decided to turn the page. An immense thanks to our supporters for the pleasure shared with us on the ice.”

They also won the Grand Prix Final twice and were credited with some of the most innovative and clinical sequences to music that figure skating has seen. ___

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The Associated Press