Chock and Bates Seek Elusive Olympic Gold in Ice Dance Final

The American duo faces off against their French training partners in a tight competition.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the American ice dance team, are aiming to finally capture the Olympic gold medal that has eluded them throughout their illustrious career. Standing in their way are the French duo of Laurence Beaudry Fournier and Guillaume Cizeron, who train alongside Chock and Bates under the same coaching team at the renowned Ice Academy of Montreal.

Why it matters

Chock and Bates have won numerous accolades, including three straight World Championships and Grand Prix Finals, but have never finished better than fourth at the Winter Olympics. This could be their best chance yet to claim the elusive gold medal and cement their legacy as one of the greatest ice dance pairs of their era.

The details

After finishing second in the rhythm dance, Chock and Bates will compete against Beaudry and Cizeron, who had the best rhythm dance score, in the ice dance final. The margin between the two teams is razor-thin, with only 0.46 points separating them. Adding to the intrigue, Chock, Bates, Beaudry, and Cizeron all train under the same coaching trio at the Ice Academy of Montreal.

  • The ice dance final will take place on Wednesday night in Milan.

The players

Madison Chock

An American ice dancer who, along with her partner Evan Bates, is seeking her first Olympic gold medal after numerous near misses.

Evan Bates

Chock's American ice dance partner, who has also been chasing the elusive Olympic gold medal with her.

Laurence Beaudry Fournier

A French ice dancer who, along with her partner Guillaume Cizeron, finished with the best rhythm dance score and will compete against Chock and Bates for the gold medal.

Guillaume Cizeron

Beaudry's French ice dance partner, who is the defending gold medalist in the event, albeit with a different partner.

Patrice Lauzon, Marie-France Dubreuil, and Roman Haguenauer

The trio of coaches who run the renowned Ice Academy of Montreal, where all four of the top ice dance teams train.

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What they’re saying

“I think the coaches do their very best to ensure that everyone has what they need and feel supported. And if there's something that we need, we can just ask. They're very open. We have a great relationship with them, and at this point in our careers, we are the biggest advocates for ourselves, more so than anyone else, because we know what we need, we know how we feel, and to just take ownership and responsibility over that, to be able to speak up to the coaches and tell them if there's something that we want to work on or we want to adjust, we really take that upon ourselves and into our own hands.”

— Madison Chock (NBC News)

“Like pretty much every instance when they take on a new high-level team, they have been very open and have communicated it, and we'll usually hop on a Zoom call and they'll tell us about it. In the instance with Guillaume and Laurence, however, we were a little bit more surprised. We really didn't get much forewarning that they were coming back and teaming up.”

— Madison Chock (NBC News)

What’s next

The ice dance final will take place on Wednesday night in Milan, where Chock and Bates will have their best chance yet to capture the Olympic gold medal that has eluded them.

The takeaway

This competition between the American and French ice dance teams, who all train under the same coaching staff, promises to be a thrilling showdown for the Olympic gold medal. Chock and Bates' pursuit of that elusive first-place finish could cement their legacy as one of the greatest ice dance pairs of their generation.