Fifteen years of partnership, perseverance, and passion on the ice have finally brought Madison Chock and Evan Bates the one accolade that had eluded them: an individual Olympic medal. At the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the three-time and reigning World ice dance champions delivered a breathtaking free dance, earning the silver medal in what may be the final chapter of their storied career together.
Chock and Bates, who have skated together for over a decade and recently celebrated their first Olympics as a married couple, stood on the podium with emotional resolve. Their silver medal performance, just 1.43 points shy of gold medalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France, was a testament to their artistry, technical mastery, and unyielding determination. With this medal, Chock and Bates join an elite group of U.S. skaters—Beatrix Loughran, Nathan Chen, and Meryl Davis and Charlie White—each now with three Olympic podium finishes.
"It's definitely a bittersweet feeling at the moment," Chock reflected after the medal ceremony, her voice wavering between pride and disappointment. "We have so much to be proud of. We've had the most incredible career, 15 years on the ice together. It's our first Olympics as a married couple, and we delivered four of our best performances this week. We are proud of how we have handled ourselves and what we've accomplished here. We are grateful to our coaches and our families, who have come all this way and have supported us through it all. It means so much to us to be a part of the sport and to have contributed years of work and creativity to inspire the next generation of skaters to be the best they can be and be creative and love what they do."
Their flamenco-themed free dance to a powerful rendition of "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones was nothing short of mesmerizing. Chock and Bates attacked the routine with fire and grace, earning Level 4s on four elements, including their lifts, synchronized twizzles, and a striking dance spin. The highlight came with their curve-curve combination lift, scoring a program-high 15.29 points, and a diagonal step sequence that racked up 12.08 points. Their free dance score of 134.67 was the best of their season, pushing their total to 224.39 points—an achievement that left both skaters visibly moved.
"We just performed four times in six days at the Olympics," Bates said, marveling at the mental and physical stamina required. "We have never done anything like it. It took so much mental strength and discipline to stay focused over the last six days and to deliver four great performances. At the end of the fourth one, the emotions just came flooding out. It's just a lot. We really did our best and that's something we will try and remember and focus on most. We delivered every time we stepped on the ice."
The journey to this silver medal was anything but straightforward. Four years earlier in Beijing, Chock and Bates narrowly missed the individual podium, finishing fourth after a disappointing rhythm dance. However, they played a crucial role in the team event, helping secure the United States’ first-ever gold medal in the Olympic team competition—a victory awarded retroactively in 2024 following a doping disqualification of the Russian team. That moment was both a vindication and a motivation for the pair, fueling their drive through another Olympic cycle when many of their contemporaries retired.
Throughout the four years leading up to Milano Cortina, Chock and Bates dominated the ice dance scene, capturing three consecutive world championships, seven national titles, and three out of four Grand Prix finals. Their consistency and leadership made them the heartbeat of Team USA, with younger teammates looking up to them for guidance and inspiration. Amber Glenn, a teammate who competed in the women’s free skate, described them as "absolutely incredible people and incredible athletes," crediting their advice for helping her navigate the pressures of her first Olympic Games.
But as the individual ice dance event unfolded in Milan, the pressure mounted. After a narrow defeat in the rhythm dance, Chock and Bates entered the free dance trailing their French rivals. Their performance, characterized by Chock’s matador and Bates’ bull, captivated the crowd and judges alike. They seized the lead with their score, then waited anxiously as Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron took the ice. When the final results were announced, Chock and Bates graciously accepted their silver, even as the gold slipped just out of reach.
"I think we put out our very best skates every time we took Olympic ice," Chock said, summing up the week’s emotional rollercoaster. "All four performances we had here at the Olympics, we're very proud of. They were flawless for us. We couldn't have skated any better and we're super proud of how we took the ice, how we handled ourselves every time and the rest is out of our hands."
Beyond Chock and Bates, the U.S. ice dance contingent delivered a strong showing in Milan. Emilea Zingas and Vadim Kolesnik, in their Olympic debut, electrified the arena with an intense and dramatic free skate to Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet," earning personal bests of 123.19 points for the free and 206.72 overall to finish fifth. "This is crazy. We're top five at the Olympics," Zingas exclaimed, still absorbing the magnitude of their achievement. Kolesnik, who became a U.S. citizen just last summer, described the support from the crowd and their families as "the most emotional competition of our entire lives."
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, the reigning U.S. bronze medalists, also made their Olympic debut memorable. Skating to selections from "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" and Audiomachine, they posted international season’s best scores of 119.47 for the free dance and 197.62 total. "It's been incredible," Carreira said. "We are so happy with the two skates we put out. We have been working hard, and it was nice to see that hard work pay off." Ponomarenko added, "We had a tough fall and we came back and went to work. To be at the Olympics is special."
This silver medal marks the sixth consecutive Olympic Games with a U.S. ice dance team on the podium, a streak stretching back to 2006. Chock and Bates’ achievement is historic: they are the first U.S. ice dancers to win both gold (team event) and silver (individual) at the same Olympics. Their legacy is now cemented not just in medals, but in the inspiration they’ve provided to teammates and fans alike.
As the figure skating competition pauses before the men’s free skate on Friday, the American ice dance story at the Milano Cortina Games stands as a testament to resilience, artistry, and the power of partnership. Whether or not Chock and Bates return for another season, their place in Olympic history—and in the hearts of skating fans—is secure.