The ISU protocol for the medal ceremony at the Palais Omnisports de Bercy possessed the rigidity of a military parade. The arena lights had been dimmed, leaving only three spotlights of piercing white light directed toward the center of the rink, where the three-tiered structure carpeted in navy blue awaited the victors. The air still smelled of frost and the heavy humidity of the drizzle seeping through the technical access gates. Behind the advertising boards, officials from the French federation lined up the skaters by order of their official scores.
