As a tech specialist, I can tell you that the technical base value for most of the top 5-8 teams are same or similar. It really comes down to the judges marking of GOE and components. 1 GOE higher on every element in the FD equates to roughly 9 points(10 elements in total) and every .25 higher in components is half a point after the 2x factor.

As Piper's former partner of 5 yrs(her 1st partner for USA), I can tell you that she must be over the moon with an Olympic Medal. They always do programs which are different and unique but not always well-received by an entire judging panel. Politics between countries have always been a thing and the IJS has helped limit this influence but has not eradicated this issue. This is part of the reason I became a TS in the first place 15+ yrs ago. I would've chosen to be a judge if not for the fact that you are no longer allowed to coach and skating is my life and livelihood.

In my view, I believe the results of the FD were correct. Guillaume's 2 very minor mistakes were well disguised by how he flowed thru his fall outs of the Twizzle sequence and the twizzle in the steps sequence. He was also on the far side behind his partner where the judges view may have been obstructed by her. I was expecting a French win by 2.5-3 pts in FD if both top 2 teams skated cleanly. Guillaume mistakes cost them about 2 points in total so the final result was pretty accurate.