Chock and Bates Finish Second in Olympic Rhythm Dance

American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates finished second in the rhythm dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on Monday, positioning themselves just 0.46 points behind the leading French pair for Wednesday's free dance that will determine the medals.

Competing at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, the reigning three-time world champions delivered a high-energy performance to a medley of Lenny Kravitz songs, earning a score of 89.72. However, a technical panel review downgraded their pattern step from Level 4 to Level 3, a minor adjustment that dropped them below Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France, who scored 90.18. Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier placed third with 86.18, while the American duo of Eva Pate and Logan Bye sat further back in sixth.

Chock and Bates, who just the day before helped secure a second consecutive Olympic team gold for the United States, remained unfazed by the close margin. "The game is always on. You should know us by now," Chock said afterward. "We're not changing anything. We've got this locked in. We know ourselves. We know our routine. And yeah, we've got this."

The pair expressed confidence in their preparation,...