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Despite illness, Madison Chock and Evan Bates won their fifth U.S. ice dancing title
Despite illness, Madison Chock and Evan Bates secured their fifth U.S. ice dance title. The reigning world champions, unbeaten since the beginning of 2023, amassed a total of 215.92 points in the rhythm dance on Thursday and the free dance on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
Chock experienced flu-like symptoms, including a fever, on Friday, while Bates felt unwell on Saturday or even earlier. They ultimately decided to compete after their warm-up, just half an hour before their free dance. Although Bates encountered difficulties in the initial twizzles, resulting in the second-best free dance score behind Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, their lead from the rhythm dance secured their victory by 5.88 points overall.
Evan Bates expressed gratitude to Madison Chock for their victory, stating on NBC Sports, “I was really on the fence about whether I wanted to do it today, to be honest, but she’s so tough and so strong.” Both athletes weren’t feeling well, but they decided to persevere, driven by their willpower and a desire to deliver a performance at what could be their last nationals.
Aged 31 and 34, Chock and Bates are adopting a season-by-season approach to their competitive career and have yet to commit to pursuing the 2026 Olympics. They are set to get married in June. In the previous year, the duo secured victory with a substantial 22.29-point lead, marking the largest margin since the ice dance format changed in 2011.
Chock and Bates, the reigning world champions, were already the oldest U.S. ice dance champions in at least 50 years following their 2023 title. Only Meryl Davis and Charlie White, the 2014 Olympic champions, have won more U.S. ice dance titles, totaling six.
In a remarkable display of longevity, Chock and Bates extended their podium streak to 12 consecutive appearances, matching the U.S. record shared by Michelle Kwan and Theresa Weld Blanchard, as well as Nathaniel Niles and a pairs’ team from the 1910s and ‘20s.
Anticipated to lead the three-couple U.S. ice dance team at the upcoming world championships in March, held in their training base of Montreal, Chock and Bates aim to defend their title.
In another competition on Saturday, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea emerged victorious in the pairs’ category, overcoming the absence of the top two U.S. teams from the previous season. Kam and O’Shea secured the win by the closest margin in U.S. pairs in 17 years after Emily Chan and Spencer Howe withdrew following their leading performance in Thursday’s short program.
Emily Chan and Spencer Howe, who secured silver last year, are undergoing a comeback journey following Chan’s surgery on her right shoulder labrum in May. They are currently petitioning for one of the three available pairs’ spots on the world team.
Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, the reigning U.S. champions and the 2022 World champions, decided to take a break from competition after the previous season. Frazier is present at the nationals in a coaching capacity.
