Chock up another medal for the U.S.
“Yes!” Madison Chock said as Karen Chen landed a jump. Chock and Evan Bates were in the mixed zone after a media session Monday, watching as Chen took the ice.
The pair embraced in a hug after Chen landed another, as the silver medal was theirs.
The final day of the team figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics saw the three put on the best performance in the short history of the event—the U.S. won bronze in 2014 and 2018.
“We’ve been lucky enough to sit in the box at every one of those events,” Bates said. “And this year, knowing that we’d get the chance to participate, was a big deal to us.
“(We knew) that we have an opportunity to inspire the next generation of American skaters, with what we do here. Because let’s be honest—(there are) so many new eyes, so many new viewers to our sport at this event. That’s what makes it so unique.”
The favorite Russian Olympic Committee won gold in the event, while Japan took the bronze.
Fueled in part by Nathan Chen’s strong showing, the U.S. led the team standings after Day 1 of competition. However, by Day 3 the Russians had pulled away and the U.S. tied for second with Japan with two more events to go: free dance and women’s long program.
“We were very aware of what was going on. We were in the team box watching all of the events,” Chock said. “But that doesn’t change what we do when we get on the ice.”
“Weirdly, I felt quite calm,” Chen said. “It’s definitely hard to just come back after a hard skate, but for some reason I just felt very determined and very focused on what my job is. And I delivered just that.”
