By SONJA CHEN
Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Madison Chock and Evan Bates successfully defended their ice dancing title Saturday at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, scoring 137.85 in the free dance for a top-place total score of 229.75.
The recently engaged couple has medaled at nationals in every season since 2013. That’s 11 straight years, which matches former training mates Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue (2012-22) for the most consecutive years on the U.S. ice dance podium.
Caroline Green and Michael Parsons earned the silver medal with a free dance score of 126.06 for their program set to “Rhapsody in Blue,” while Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, who were fourth after the short program, scored 121.08 and moved up a spot to take the bronze. Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik continued a strong debut season as partners, finishing fourth with a 119.95.
In a free dance inspired by the relationship between fire and air that was languid and sizzling, Chock and Bates earned near-perfect scores on their program components, which account for skating skills and artistry.
Chock and Bates, Hubbell and Donohue, and Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker have occupied the top three spots on the podium for the past four years. But Hubbell and Donohue retired and Hawayek and Baker withdrew from nationals to prioritize their physical and mental health.
Ice dancers Maia and Alex Shibutani, along with U.S. Figure Skating Foundation president and trustee Paul E. George, were inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame during the event.
The Shibutani siblings are two-time national champions and three-time world medalists, and hold the distinction of being the first athletes of Asian descent to medal in Olympic ice dance when they took the bronze in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
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