Before they had even seen their scores,
Madison Chock and Evan Bates made history at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing, China.
When they stepped onto the ice, Chock and Bates were competing at the event for the seventh time, giving them the most-ever appearances at the Grand Prix Final of any athletes from any discipline in U.S. Figure Skating history.
The reigning World champions and four-time silver medalists at the Grand Prix Final then went on to win the rhythm dance.
Skating to "Another One Bites the Dust," "Who Wants to Live Forever" and "I Want It All" by Queen, Chock and Bates opened with their strongest element, their midline step sequence, which was the highest-scoring element of the competition at 13.21 points. They proceeded to earn a Level 4 designation on their sequential twizzles as well as their closing rotational lift and claimed more than 12 points for their pattern dance type step sequence.
They tallied a score of 89.15, the highest rhythm dance score in the world this season, capturing a lead of 3.33 points. Should they maintain their first-place position after the free dance on Saturday, Chock and Bates would win their first Grand Prix Final gold and would finish the 2023 calendar year undefeated, becoming the first U.S. ice dancers to do so since Meryl Davis and Charlie White a decade ago.Â
"We feel really good about the performance tonight and the progress we've made since our last Grand Prix," Bates said. "I know it was only a few weeks ago, but it felt like we really took some great notes from the two Grand Prix events that we've had, and we've been able to apply them, tweak a couple things, and this is definitely our best performance of the season, so we're very happy with that."
Team USA is also poised to win gold in the junior ice dance event as
Leah Neset and Artem Markelov set a new personal best in the rhythm dance with 72.48 points, shattering their old international personal best by more than three points.
They lead the field by more than four points.
Entering as the No. 1 seed after winning both their Junior Grand Prix events, Neset and Markelov shined in their Junior Grand Prix Final debut. Performing to "Still Loving You" by Scorpions and "I Hate Myself For Loving You" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, they were the only team in the competition to have two elements score more than 10 points, ending with their Level 4 sequential twizzles and midline step sequence.
"We're really happy that we were able to show what we've been working on," Neset said. "We're just really grateful to be here."
Neset and Markelov's teammates,
Yahli Pedersen and Jeffrey Chen, also made their Junior Grand Prix Final debut, qualifying for the event in their first season together as a team.
Their performance to "A Kind of Magic" and "Under Pressure" by Queen received a score of 54.30, placing them in sixth.
"Overall, just being here is great. It's a wonderful experience," Chen said. "[We made] some good improvements. Obviously, things happen, so we're just going to keep moving forward and work together to get better."
In the senior women's event,
Isabeau Levito, who earned silver at the Grand Prix Final last season, finished the short program in sixth with 56.53 points.
"It was not a really good skate, and it is what it is," Levito said.
Competition concludes Saturday with all 11 U.S. athletes in action. The day kicks off with the three junior events – the free dance and pairs and men's free skates – before medals are awarded in the senior events following the free dance and women's and men's free skates.
For full results, as well as news, streaming information and more, visit the
Grand Prix Final Competition Central.
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