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American figure skating pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates secured the silver medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, finishing with a combined score of 224.39 after scoring 134.67 in their free dance on Wednesday night.
Chock and Bates, the married couple who have skated together for over a decade, were beaten out for gold by the French pair of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who scored 135.64 in the free dance for a total of 225.82.
It was the pair’s best score to date and was needed to knock off Chock and Bates, the group that won the USA its 12th medal of the Games so far.
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Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States react after seeing their results earn them the silver medal after competing during the ice dancing free skate in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Finishing third for the bronze medal was an emotional Canadian pair of Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, who were ecstatic to see their final score of 217.74 after a 131.56 free dance score to put them on the podium.
Another American group of Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, making their Olympic debut, finished fifth with a total of 206.72 points.
Chock and Bates trailed the French pair by 0.46 points entering the free dance on Wednesday night, looking for their first ice dance Olympic medal, hoping it would be gold, of course.
Their matador routine, danced to a rendition of The Rolling Stones’ famous tune, “Paint It, Black”, resulted in plenty of cheers from the audience as they finished with tears in their eyes.
Chock and Bates have won two team golds after Sunday’s Team USA win, but they had to watch one more routine to see if they could capture gold as Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron took the ice.
After a similarly brilliant routine, the judges decided the French duo did enough to defeat the Americans in the end.
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France react to their gold medal results after competing during the ice dancing free skate in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Cizeron won the ice dance title at the 2022 Beijing Games, although it was with his former partner Gabriella Papadakis, with whom he also won five world titles.
However, their split was fraught with controversy, as Papadakis accused Cizeron of an “unbalanced” relationship in which she felt she was “under his grip” in her memoir. She also claimed he was “controlling” and “demanding”.
Cizeron called it a “smear campaign” as well as “false information” while saying he will take legal action against his partner, who he had been skating with since they were kids.
Meanwhile, Fournier Beaudry dealt with her own controversy last year when she was previously in a personal and professional relationship with Canadian figure skater Nikolaj Sorensen. Sorensen was hit with a six-year suspension following a 2012 sexual assault allegation, though it did not involve Fournier Beaudry, but rather a U.S. figure skating coach.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States compete during the ice dancing free skate in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Fournier Beaudry was rushed into French citizenship last year for collaborating with Cizeron. They went on to win four of their five major title events together, although their one runner-up finish was to Chock and Bates at the International Skating Union Grand Prix Final.
But Olympic gold remains with France in this event after a thrilling performance by all pairs at the Milan Cortina Games.
