The 2026 Winter Olympics are under way, and Team USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who are married, took home the silver medal in the free skate competition on Wednesday, February 11, with a 0.97 margin.
At the event, Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Beaudry Fournier from France earned the gold with a higher technical score of 77.06 to Chock and Bates’ 76.75, according to skater research. But, not everyone agrees with the outcome of the competition. Some believe Chock and Bates were totally robbed of the medal.
Now, one day after the competition, Chock and Bates are breaking their silence about winning the silver, amid the controversy that they should have gotten gold.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates: Married Couple Says Participating in the Olympics Was an ‘Honor’
On Thursday, February 12, the married couple took to social media to post a photo of themselves winning the silver medal. They also thanked viewers and followers for their support.
“It’s truly an honor to skate on Olympic ice, and we’re so proud of how hard we worked to get here and deliver our very best,” they stated in the joint post. “Thank you to our families, friends, fellow skaters and all the fans back home and around the world for your support. We are so incredibly grateful for all of the love.”
So, the two took the high road and didn’t comment at all on the belief that they should have gotten gold.
Former Olympic winner Scott Hamilton commented on the post, stating, “You did what you came to do! Skate to the absolute best of your ability and proudly represent your country. You and Evan put down four incredible performances and became the most decorated Ice Dance Team is U.S. history. I’d say you did a remarkable job.”
The couple also appeared on the “Today Show,” and when asked what Bates would tell his 2011 self, he said, “You’re a lucky guy.”
Olympic Insider Comments on the ‘Emotion and Performance Quality’ of Madison Chock and Evan Bates
Live Milan reporter Lukas Weese of The Athletic published a piece about the ice dancing results and said that he believes Madison Chock and Evan Bates should have gotten gold.
“The judges gave Cizeron/Beaudry Fournier a higher technical score (77.06) than Chock/Bates (76.75), which is fair,” he stated in a piece after the results coming out. “What I disagree is the composition, presentation and skating skills, which favored the French duo.”
“I felt that the emotion and performance quality of Chock/Bates was higher, aided with a better song choice,” he added. “The crowd agreed. The judges didn’t see it that way and that’s why France is the Olympic champion by the slimmest of margins.”
If you’re curious about their wedding, Madison Chock and Evan Bates were married in 2024 “in a romantic seaside wedding in Hawaii on Thursday, June 20,” according to People magazine.
“The couple tells People they got the idea to have their nuptials in Hawaii since Chock’s parents were born and raised there,” the magazine states in a feature published at the time. “Fittingly, they opted for a ‘tropical wedding theme,’ incorporating several Hawaiian traditions into their big day, including a lei exchange and music popular to the islands.”
Madison Chock and Evan Bates: Married Couple Opens Up on Medal Controversy