Madison Chock and Evan Bates etched their names into figure skating history on Saturday night at the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, claiming their record-setting seventh national ice dance title.
The performance marked a watershed moment for the Montreal-based pair, who surpassed the previous record of six championships held by 2014 Olympic champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White.usfigureskating
Competing to a fierce contemporary flamenco interpretation of the Rolling Stones classic "Paint It Black" from the sci-fi western series "Westworld," Chock and Bates delivered their strongest free dance of the season.
The pair's technical execution proved flawless, featuring seven Level 4 elements and grades of execution of 2.25 or better on every component. Their opening combination curve lift alone earned an event-high 15.70 points, while their closing diagonal step sequence demonstrated the polished intensity that has defined their partnership since 2011.
The champions recorded a free dance score of 137.17 points and finished with a total of 228.87 points, comfortably securing first place and extending their dominance over the American ice dance field. Bates reflected on the achievement, noting that momentum built through the season translated directly to success on the national stage.
"We like to build momentum through the season and it's a great feeling going into a big event knowing you've skated well at the previous competition," he said, adding confidence heading into the Milan Cortina Olympics.espn
Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik secured the silver medal with 213.65 points, establishing themselves as the second American pair likely to compete at the Winter Games. The partnership, which trains under Igor Shpilband at the Novi Ice Center—Chock and Bates' former coach—improved dramatically from their performance earlier in the season.
Zingas acknowledged the struggle to reach this moment, explaining that disappointment at the previous year's national championships proved instructive in shaping the team's approach and goals.
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko finished third with 206.95 points, earning their fifth career U.S. Championships medal and a probable spot on the Olympic team.
The Canadian-based partnership, partners since 2014, showed resilience after a rocky start to the season. Carreira reflected on the journey, stating that despite initial challenges, the team regrouped following the Grand Prix season and delivered the performance required.
For Chock and Bates, the seventh title represents vindication and unparalleled success. Since their disappointing fourth-place finish at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games—a result many consider devastating for any Olympic athlete—the pair have become the undisputed force in ice dance.
They have captured the last three consecutive World Championships and claimed gold at the Grand Prix Final three times in succession, leaving American competitors far behind.apnews
The partnership has earned 14 consecutive medals at the U.S. Championships, with gold medals in each of the last five years.
When informed of their historic achievement, Chock reflected on the surreal nature of the accomplishment. "Seven-time national champions seems surreal," she said, acknowledging what the moment meant to the partnership.
Chock and Bates enter the Milan Cortina Olympics as heavy favorites to claim gold in the ice dance competition.
Their season-best scores and dominant consistency throughout the Olympic cycle position them to finally capture the Olympic medal that has eluded them through three Winter Games appearances.
Ilia Malinin reinforced his status as the leading American medal prospect for the men's competition, capturing his fourth consecutive U.S. title with an unbeaten streak dating back more than two years.
Skating to a musical medley featuring his own voice-over and selections from artist Asaf Avidan, Malinin delivered a free skate score of 209.78 and a total of 324.88 points, winning by more than 57 points.nbcolympics
The two-time and reigning World champion approached the competition with a measured strategy, reducing his planned quadruple jump content to prioritize preparation for the Olympics.
Rather than attempting seven potential quadruple jumps, Malinin executed three quads with characteristic ease, including an opening quad flip, a quad Lutz-triple Salchow combination that generated 22.37 points, and a quad Salchow-triple Axel pairing.
Notably, Malinin refrained from executing his most famous jump, the quadruple Axel, which he pioneered and has successfully landed in past competitions.
Instead, he concentrated on technical refinement, sharpening all spins to Level 4 and finishing each movement with precision. A minor turnout on the second jump of his final combination represented his only technical flaw in an otherwise dominant performance.
Malinin's dominance extended across both segments of the competition. He posted a short program score of 115.10 points, establishing a 25-point lead that he would maintain throughout the competition.
His short program included a quadruple flip, a triple Axel, a quadruple Lutz-triple toe loop combination, his signature backflip, and the distinctive "raspberry twist" that has become a hallmark of his technical arsenal.
The three-time and reigning World champion acknowledged the strategy of tempering his difficulty in favor of consistency and energy conservation.
"I decided to play it safe here, save my energy, save my condition to prepare for those Olympic Games," Malinin explained. Despite the conservative approach, his technical superiority over the field proved insurmountable.
Andrew Torgashev delivered a career-defining free skate to claim the silver medal with 267.62 points. The Southern California-based skater bounced back from a disappointing fifth-place short program finish with a stirring display of solid jumps and expressive movements.
Torgashev landed two quad toe loops—one in combination with a double toe—and two triple Axels, earning 182.63 points in the free skate. The silver medal represents his second consecutive podium finish at the U.S. Championships.
Maxim Naumov claimed the bronze medal with 249.16 points, achieving his best-ever result at the U.S. Championships. The three-time U.S. pewter medalist improved on previous finishes to secure a spot on the Olympic podium at nationals.
Despite turning out of the landing on two triple jumps, Naumov demonstrated refinement in his spins and movements throughout his program.
In a surprising result that captivated observers, Jacob Sanchez leapt from seventh place after the short program to claim fourth overall with 249.07 points. The 2024 Junior Grand Prix Final champion delivered a clean and lyrical contemporary medley program highlighted by two triple Axels and his distinctive ability to move an audience.
Sanchez posted personal-best scores in both the free skate (167.80) and overall total, exceeding his previous personal bests by over 16 and 13 points respectively.
The 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships concluded a historic evening of competition at Enterprise Center. The championships marked the final national selection opportunity before U.S. Figure Skating announced its Olympic team on Sunday.
The event demonstrated the depth and quality of American figure skating heading into Milan Cortina, with dominant performances from established champions and breakthrough moments from emerging athletes competing for Olympic honors.
Malinin's unbeaten streak now extends to thirteen consecutive competition victories dating back to December 2023. The Olympic favorite heads toward the Milan Games riding unprecedented momentum, having established himself as the dominant force in international men's figure skating.
If successful at the Winter Games, Malinin would become the third American in the last five Winter Olympics to capture the men's singles gold medal, following Nathan Chen's victory in Beijing in 2022 and other recent American champions.
The convergence of Chock and Bates' record-setting achievement and Malinin's continued dominance underscored American figure skating's strength heading into the Winter Olympics, with multiple medal contenders positioned across disciplines to represent Team USA on the world's largest sporting stage.
