Madison Chock and Evan Bates have won their second consecutive world championship title in ice dance, making them the oldest couple to ever win gold. The duo, who have been skating together for 13 years, earned a total of 222.20 points in the rhythm dance and free dance segments of the competition held in Montreal, their training base since 2018.
Chock and Bates clinched victory by a margin of 2.52 points over Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, last year’s bronze medalists, in what was considered the closest ice dance competition at worlds in the last decade. Italians Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri captured the bronze medal, one year after winning silver.
The duo now holds the record for the most ice dance world championship medals won by a U.S. pair, having collected five throughout their careers. They clinched their first world title last year, making them the oldest couple to ever win gold after having previously earned silver and bronze medals in past competitions. Following a Stars on Ice tour last spring, they decided to continue competing for at least one more season, which ultimately turned out to be their most successful one yet. The duo won all five of their competitions, including their fifth U.S. title.
Gilles and Poirier posted a higher score in the free dance segment but it was not enough to offset their deficit from the rhythm dance. Chock and Bates were considered favorites to win due to entering with the highest total score of the season but delivered with an impressive performance nonetheless
