Madison Chock and Evan Bates Celebrate Their Seventh U.S. Ice Dance Championship Win
Madison Chock and Evan Bates Secure Record Seventh U.S. Ice Dance Championship
ST. LOUIS — Madison Chock and Evan Bates have made history by winning their seventh U.S. ice dance championship, a record achievement that positions them for the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympic Games next month.
Competing at the Enterprise Center, the duo dominated the event, finishing nearly 15 points ahead of silver medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik. This victory marks a significant milestone for Chock and Bates, as it allows them to surpass former champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White for the most national titles in the category.
While they have established themselves as leading figures in U.S. ice dance, Chock and Bates are keen to bolster their Olympic accolades. Despite their impressive track record as three-time world champions and three-time Grand Prix Final champions, they have yet to secure an individual Olympic medal.
Davis and White previously set the bar high, becoming the first U.S. pair to clinch Olympic gold in ice dance in 2014, concluding an era of dominance that included six consecutive national titles from 2009 to 2014.
Chock and Bates contributed to the United States’ achievement of team gold in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, though they finished fourth in their individual event. Chock, originally from Redondo Beach, experienced a slip during the rhythm dance, while fellow Americans Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donahue claimed third to extend the streak of U.S. ice dance medals at five consecutive Olympic Games.
Having recently become the first ice dance team since 1996 to win three consecutive world championships, Chock and Bates enter the Milan Games as strong contenders for gold, alongside two other U.S. dance pairs.
U.S. Figure Skating is set to announce the Olympic roster on Sunday. Zingas, who is poised to make her Olympic debut, expressed her disbelief after scoring a season-best in the free skate, and was embraced by Kolesnik amidst tears of joy. Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomerenko, who finished as the second-best U.S. team at the 2025 world championships, captured the bronze medal.
