In the weeks and months leading up to the launch of Dernier Relais, one idea became clear: this media outlet would not be about buzz or hype. There is very little, if not zero, chance that one day we will find the latest rumor, the freshly dropped result, or a flashy headline here. Taking time, building its identity, its community and its goals, going to discover sports, athletes, institutions, unsung heroes, telling their stories, their dreams, their disappointments and their joys — that is the guiding principle, the roadmap of Dernier Relais.

Of course, perhaps one day we will make an exception. After all, life is full of surprises and sometimes challenges us, forcing resilience and adjustments. As examples, staying within the sports framework, we have obviously heard a lot about Loïs Boisson, who came back from a serious injury to reach the semifinals of Roland Garros recently, just one year after having to withdraw from the same tournament. We can also mention Axel Clerget, not selected for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: « I feel empty, the disappointment is huge, » the judoka and 2021 Tokyo Olympic team champion said. A blow all the harder to take as it was his third of this kind after 2012 and 2016: Clerget had qualified, but with only one spot per category, his Olympic dreams were crushed by the harshness of the selection.

This scenario is not unique to judo, since it also occurs in ice dancing. Olympic champion in the discipline in 2022 with his former partner Gabriella Papadakis, Guillaume Cizeron, a legend of the sport, announced his return for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games. He will form on this occasion a duo both exciting and intriguing with the Quebecois Laurence Fournier Beaudry. This news sparked a somewhat measured enthusiasm from ice dancer Théo Le Mercier, as reported by France Info: « We’re a bit pissed off… »

Because naturally, the cards have been reshuffled. With now three couples competing for two spots, one French ice dancing pair will not travel to Italy next winter, frustrating ambitions, the guiding principle, the famous roadmap mentioned at the outset.

Noé Perron, one of the greatest French hopes in ice dancing, is clearly a privileged observer of this quest pursued by his peers. Like all, he dreams of the Olympics. Like all, he has his plan and his obstacles. Thus, at a pivotal moment in his young career, as he closes a decade of work and partnership with his partner, we talk with him about his journey.

Dernier Relais: Hi Noé! Let’s start at the beginning by talking about your background. How did you come to practice ice dancing? Do you come from a family of skaters?

Noé Perron: Absolutely not! My family is not at all into sports, let alone skating. Actually, it was after watching a hockey game that I started skating. I must have been five years old, and it was at the Belfort club. Around the age of ten, I started dancing as a couple and stayed at this club until 2018. During that time, I had quite a few national podiums, including a title as French minime champion.

DR: Next came the French Junior team…

NP: That’s right. With my partner Lou Terreaux, we joined the French Junior team and moved to the Villard-de-Lans training center, better suited for high-level competition. For four years, we participated in major international junior competitions, with a top 15 at the World Championships. Then, in 2022, a new change of scenery as we started training in Lyon.

DR: About your sport: When people think of it, they almost immediately picture an ice rink, but dancing is a discipline in itself, and I imagine there’s some off-ice training too…

NP: Exactly! We have quite a few off-ice classes, both classical dance and ballroom dance. Usually, we have one class of each per week, so about two hours of dance off the ice. Admittedly, it’s not much compared to the hours spent on ice, but these regular dance sessions help us a lot once we’re back on the rink.

DR: You had a very good performance a few months ago with your former partner Lou Terreaux, which ended with a silver medal at the 2025 Winter World University Games. What is your next big goal?

NP: Yes, it’s true that we had a very good result with Lou, but as you said, we ended our partnership recently. So it’s hard to plan a goal right now…

DR: Speaking of which, the duo you formed with Lou Terreaux for several years recently split. How do you see what’s next? Do you have a new partner, and is it easy to change after so many years building instincts in a sport that requires so much chemistry and knowledge of the other?

NP: Absolutely. I have a new partner, a Canadian, arriving this weekend. Her name is Nadiia Bashynska. We’ll take it slowly and see how it goes. It’s true that after nearly ten years with Lou, I had many concerns, thinking we’d have to start from scratch. But actually, not so much. Each of our experiences, mine and Nadiia’s, already give us solid foundations to rely on. During tryouts, the chemistry clicked very quickly.

DR: You’ve basically spent your life on ice and already participated in many high-level competitions. How do you approach them? Full of fighting spirit, stress, calm?

NP: I’m the kind to stay calm. I take things as they come.

DR: Do you have the Olympic dream in the back of your mind? If yes, for when?

NP: The goal is clearly the 2030 Olympics. It takes time for a couple to build.

DR: The couples Evgeniia Lopareva-Geoffrey Brissaud and Loïcia Demougeot-Théo Le Mercier secured their tickets to the Olympics in your discipline and could represent France in Milan-Cortina this winter. There remains a qualifying competition in Beijing next September, and an important comeback with Guillaume Cizeron. As for you, was it not yet your time?

NP: We won’t be there, indeed. At this stage, the goal is 2030, likely to represent Canada. Regarding the French group… Guillaume’s (Cizeron) return is the main factor. It’s true that Loïcia (Demougeot) and Théo (Le Mercier) got their spot, but it will probably be Guillaume and his partner Laurence Fournier, along with the duo Evgeniia-Geoffrey, who will go to Milan.

This is the path Noé Perron has set for himself. With patience, method, and work, he knows his Olympic dream is attainable and lies out there on the horizon. We will surely be eager to follow Noé’s calm but dream-filled quest. See you in 2030 in the French Alps?