USA’s Chock and Bates win Olympic ice dance silver : NPR
Chock and Bates, four-time Olympians, were heavily favored for gold. But they lost by a little more than a point to a French duo clouded by the controversy involving their former partners.
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Francisco Seco/AP
Want more Olympics updates? Subscribe here to receive our newsletter, Rachel is going to the Gamesdelivered to your inbox for a behind-the-scenes look at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
MILAN — American ice dancing couple Madison Chock and Evan Bates won their first individual Olympic medal Wednesday, taking silver after two grueling days of competition against their French rivals.
It’s a moment of redemption for the four-time Olympians – and their real-life spouses – who finished just off the podium in Beijing four years ago before winning three consecutive national titles.
But it’s also bittersweet, as Chock later described it. The veterans and gold medal favorites lost to new duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France by 1.43 points.
“We really gave it our all, and I wouldn’t change a thing about how we approached every performance, what we delivered in every performance,” Chock told reporters, through tears.
“We really did our best. And that’s what we set out to do when we came to these Games. So I think we have a lot to be proud of and a lot to be grateful for, because we’ve had an incredible career, so well supported by our families, by our coaches, by each other, and sometimes that’s how it goes.”
Chock and Bates are among the most experienced skaters on Team USA and these Games in general. They helped Team USA win its second straight gold medal in the team event last weekend, marking back-to-back season bests in both of their programs.
But they faced strong competition in the individual event from a much newer – and more controversial – duo. Beaudry and Cizeron, the reigning European champions, only teamed up last year and continue to face questions regarding their former partners (more on that below).
Beaudry and Cizeron finished Monday’s rhythm dance competition ahead of Chock and Bates by less than a point, so the Americans faced added pressure to achieve perfection on Wednesday.
“The game is still on, and you should know us by now: We’re not changing anything,” Chock said at the end of the evening. “We have this locked down, we know ourselves, we know our routine and we have it figured out.”
They delivered another season’s best score in their flamenco-inspired “Paint It Black,” with Chock fiercely playing the matador in a quivering scarlet skirt. But the last duo of the evening, Beaudry and Cizeron, arrived in their matching turquoise outfits to knock the Americans out of first place.
“It has a very particular taste, this medal,” Cizeron then declared. “It was a huge challenge. We went for it and we couldn’t be happier.”
Third place went to fan favorites Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier from Canada, who dazzled with their Vincent Van Gogh program (both in terms of costumes and music). The three-time Olympians left the ice in tearful hugs, knowing a medal awaited them.
The French faced drama off the ice
Frenchmen Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron participate in the free dance event on Wednesday.
Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images
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Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images
Cizeron and Beaudry teamed up last year because they each needed a new partner, and those respective controversies followed them to Milan.
Cizeron’s partnership with Gabriella Papadakis is widely considered one of the strongest in recent ice dance history. They have won two Olympic medals – most recently gold in Beijing – and five world titles before officially separate manners in December 2024 without much public explanation.
But in January, just weeks before the Olympic opening ceremony, Papadakis published a revealing book describing their two-decade partnership (yes, they started when they were kids) as deeply unequal. She accused Cizeron of being a “controlling” and “demanding” partner, and wrote of feeling “under his influence,” according to Associated Press translations.
Cizeron denied He called his accusations a “smear campaign” and said he had warned his lawyers against further prosecution. Papadakis said since as a result, she lost her job as an Olympics commentator at NBC.
“I use my experience to highlight a reality: as long as survivors are punished for speaking out, sport cannot truly change or become safer,” she says. wrote on Instagram earlier this week. “As the Winter Olympics unfold, I encourage you to take a critical look at the spectacle. Spectators have power, and how we choose to watch, support, question or look away helps shape the culture of sport.”
At one point on Wednesday, the jumbotron at the Milan ice rink knocked over several women in the crowd with the title of Papadakis’ book scrawled on their bare arms.
In March 2025, Cizeron teamed up with Beaudry, who previously skated for Denmark and then Canada.
Beaudry’s former skating partner, whom she still dates, was suspended sports in 2024 over accusations he sexually assaulted an American figure skater/coach in 2012, which he denies. Canada’s Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner has banned Nikolaj Sorensen for at least six years for “sexual abuse,” although the ban was canceled in June 2025 due to jurisdictional issues. However, he did not return to competition.
Beaudry defended her boyfriend of 12 years in Netflix docuseries Glitter and gold: dancing on icethe premiere of which took place just days before the start of the Olympics.
“When they decided to suspend him, that meant his career was over, which also meant my career was over,” she said. “It was extremely difficult because it wasn’t just about skating, it was about my integrity, his integrity. I know my boyfriend 100 percent. I know him. And we [stood] strong together.”
The survivor – whose name has not been made public – told USA Today earlier this month, such comments “create a dangerous environment for skaters to report abuse.” When asked to respond, Beaudry told the outlet, “We have no idea.”
What’s next for Chock and Bates
Chock and Bates perform their flamenco-inspired routine during Wednesday’s free dance.
Grégory Shamus/Getty Images
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Grégory Shamus/Getty Images
Chock and Bates began their skating partnership in 2011, began dating six years later, and married in 2024. Chock usually designs their costumes — and this year, costumes for some of their competitors Also.
The two train in Montreal, where they live with their two toy poodles, Henry and Stella, whom they brought to the Games as a pin for some traditional Olympic exchanges. Milan are in their fourth Olympics together, and Bates’s fifth overall, which puts them in a somewhat parental position on a team made up of mostly first-timers. Their younger teammates say Chock and Bates have filled that role well.
“I like to call them Mr. and Mrs. America,” Amber Glenn, 26, said over the weekend. “They are absolutely incredible people and incredible athletes.”
After Wednesday’s results, Glenn called them “my Olympic champions.”
It was Bates who warned the American team that the ribbons holding their gold medals could succeed if they jumped too much, Danny O’Shea said – prescient advice he immediately ignored.
Bates also praised Team USA’s young skaters during opening week.
“The depth is there and the talent is there,” he said. “But more than anything, what I’ve noticed in the younger generation is the spirit, the curiosity, the fearlessness. It’s the perfect balance between managing your nerves and coming out with absolute joy and freedom.”
American duo Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, in particular, appear to be following in the couple’s footsteps. They placed fifth on Wednesday.
Early in the Games, when asked about his ongoing back and neck problems, Bates, 36, admitted “there are miles on the body.”
“What we do is not easy and it’s very physical,” he said. “We’ve been very smart and intentional with our training this year, limiting the number of reps on things like lifts that could potentially cause a problem.”
After the medal ceremony on Wednesday, the couple were asked if the result made them want to come back hungry. Chock shook his head sadly, while Bates replied “not at the moment.”
Their future on the ice is a question, but their partnership is not.
“The skating career is something short and finite, and the relationship is much, much longer,” Bates told NPR in October.
