U-M Alum Bates Claims Olympic Silver in Individual Ice Dance
2/11/2026 7:57:00 PM | Olympics
MILAN, Italy -- University of Michigan alumnus Evan Bates and his partner Madison Chock claimed the ice dance silver medal at the 2026 Olympic Games on Wednesday (Feb. 11) at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
Skating 19th of 20 teams on Wednesday night, Bates and Chock again performed their free dance program to "Paint It Black" -- with Chock as a matador and Bates as a bull -- and posted a 134.67 to briefly take the top spot with a 224.39 combined score.
But France's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron narrowly edged the American duo -- just as they did with the rhythm dance -- with a 135.64 in the event's final free dance routine to finish with a score of 225.82, just 1.43 total points ahead for the gold.
Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier took the bronze medal with a score of 217.74.
It was Bates and Chock's first individual Olympic medal after placing fourth in Beijing four years ago. They have claimed two gold medals in the team event, including just three days ago (Sunday, Feb. 8) when they won both the rhythm dance and free dance portions to contribute 20 points to Team USA's score.
