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United States figure skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates earned a silver medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, finishing with a total score of 224.39 after scoring 134.67 points in their free dance Wednesday night.
Chock and Bates, a married couple who have been skating together for more than a decade, were beaten to gold by French pair Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who scored 135.64 in the free dance for a total of 225.82.
It was the pairing’s best result to date, and was needed to knock out Chock and Bates, the team that won the US its 12th Games medal to date.
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Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States react when they realize their score earned them a silver medal after competing in the free ice skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Finishing in third place for the bronze medal was the sensational Canadian pair of Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, who were delighted to see their final score of 217.74 after a free dance score of 131.56 put them on the podium.
The US second team of Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, making their Olympic debut, finished fifth with a total of 206.72 points.
Chock and Bates were trailing the French pair by 0.46 of a point entering the free dance on Wednesday night, and were looking for their first Olympic ice dance medal in what was obviously gold.
Their matador routine, dancing to The Rolling Stones’ hit song, “Paint It, Black,” resulted in huge cheers from the crowd, as they ended up in tears.
Chock and Bates won the team gold twice after Team USA’s victory Sunday, but they had to watch one round to see if they could capture the gold when Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron took the ice.
After an equally brilliant process, the judges decided that the French duo did enough to defeat the Americans in the end.
France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron react to their gold medal scores after competing during the free skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Cizeron won the ice dance title at the Beijing Games in 2022, despite being with her former partner Gabriella Papadakis, with whom she also won five world titles.
However, their separation was fraught with controversy, as Papadakis accused Cizeron of an “unbalanced” relationship, where he felt that he was “under his control,” in his book. He also said he was “controlling” and “demanding.”
Cizeron called it a “smear campaign” and “false information,” when he said he would take legal action against his girlfriend, who has been skating with him since childhood.
Meanwhile, Fournier Beaudry faced his own controversy last year, as he previously had a personal and professional relationship with Canadian skier Nikolaj Sorensen. Sorensen was hit with a six-year suspension after allegations of sexual harassment dating back to 2012, although it did not involve Fournier Beaudry, but rather an American figure skating coach.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States compete during the ice skate dance in the free skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
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Fournier Beaudry was granted French citizenship last year to join Cizeron. They went on to win four of their five title events together, though their second place finish came to Chock and Bates in the International Skating Union Grand Prix Final.
But the Olympic gold remains with France in this event after a thrilling performance by all pairs at the Milan Cortina Games.
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