Two-time Olympic champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates will not pursue a fourth straight ice dance world championship, choosing instead to end their season and likely their competitive careers after their performances at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Chock and Bates joined Olympic teammate Alysa Liu on Monday in withdrawing from worlds, which is not an uncommon decision for skaters who compete at the Winter Games. The championships begin March 24 at 02 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic.
Chock and Bates helped the U.S. defend its Olympic figure skating team gold medal in February, then added a bittersweet silver in the individual competition. They were a close second behind the French duo of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, a result that was heavily scrutinized due to the wild scoring margins turned in by the French judge, Jézabel Dabouis.
“We left it all on the ice in Milan,” Bates said. “Our season feels complete with those four performances where we delivered our best.”
Chock and Bates have not officially retired, but they have hinted for the better part of four years that they would move away from the competitive scene after the Milan Cortina Games. They will do so as two of the most decorated skaters in U.S. history, winning a record seven national titles, three gold medals at the Grand Prix Final and numerous Grand Prix events.
They have been on the podium at the past four world championships and triumphed at the past three.
“While we have decided not to compete at the world championships, we hold dear the incredible memories from winning the last three years,” Bates said. “Those achievements have meant so much to us. We couldn’t be more appreciate of all the love and support.”
Caroline Green and Michael Parsons will replace Chock and Bates on the U.S. ice dance squad in Prague. They will join Olympic teams of Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko and the duo of Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik.
Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito are still scheduled to compete at worlds, and Sarah Everhardt will replace Liu after the 20-year-old announced last week that she was withdrawing. Liu became the first American woman since Sarah Hughes in 2002 to stand atop the Olympic podium when she completed her historic comeback with gold at the Winter Games.
Ilia Malinin, who was part of the gold medal-winning U.S. team in Milan, also remains in the world championships field.
The two-time defending champion, who was heavily favored to win individual gold at the Olympics, struggled throughout his time in Milan, admitting later that the pressure got to him. Malinin fell several times in a disastrous free skate, sending him from first after his short program to eighth place and well out of the medals; Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won gold.
Among others who have withdrawn from worlds are Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, the Olympic pairs champs from Japan; Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii, the pairs team that helped earn team bronze for host Italy; and Loena Hendrickx of Belgium.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
