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Live sport on SN this weekendIce-cool US skaters find their rhythm to rock judges
Dave Skretta • February 7th, 2026 12:30 am
Madison Chock and Evan Bates impressed the judges with their Lenny Kravitz-inspired routine | Photo: AP
Madison Chock and Evan Bates rock-and-rolled their way to a world-best 91.06 points in the rhythm dance to open the team competition at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, where the American figure skaters are the reigning champions.
Cheered on by a crowd that included Vice President J.D. Vance, his family and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chock and Bates were able to secure their team the maximum 10 points for their Lenny Kravitz-inspired dance while making a big early statement on Friday (local time).
The three-time world champions, Chock and Bates are favourites to win individual Olympic gold later in the Winter Games.
But they'll be pushed by the new French team of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who had made their own statement minutes before Chock and Bates took the ice when they set their own world-best score of 89.98 points.
US Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha applaud the American team in Milan | Photo: AP
"We're not focused on that," Chock said. "We're just doing what we do."
They couldn't have done it a whole lot better.
The team event is expected to come down to the US and Japan for the gold medal. The win by Chock and Bates in the rhythm dance, coupled with an eighth-place result for Utana Yoshia and Masaya Morita, means the US have a big early lead.
The short programs for women and pairs were scheduled later on Friday, just hours before the opening ceremony.
"We definitely skated great and we're very happy, as you saw when we finished. I think we both felt the excitement of just getting these Olympics under way," said Bates, who along with Chock are the only holdovers from the US gold medallists at the Beijing Games.
- AP
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