Madison Chock and Evan Bates rock-and-rolled their way to a world-best 91.06 points in the rhythm dance Friday 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 JD 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.
The three-time world champions, Chock and Bates are the favorites 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.
“We’re not focused on that,” Chock said. “We’re just doing what we do.”
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The team event is expected to come down to the U.S. 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 U.S. has a big early lead.
The short program for women and pairs were later Friday, just hours before the opening ceremony. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea were on the ice in pairs for the U.S. with world champion Alysa Liu performing her short program.
“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 underway,” said Bates, who along with Chock are the only holdovers from the gold medalists at the Beijing Games.
“That’s great start,” Bates added. “It’s always a great feeling to do it for U.S.”
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The Olympics opening ceremony is set for Friday, Feb. 6, but some early rounds of competition began two days earlier. The opening ceremony will feature performances from Mariah Carey, Laura Pausini and Andrea Bocelli.
Olympic events are set to continue through the closing ceremony on Feb. 22. The Paralympics will take place the following month, from March 6 to March 15.
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