A ROMANCE FROZEN IN TIME — Madison Chock and Evan Bates Transform the Ice Into Art

At the 2026 gala exhibition, Madison Chock and Evan Bates did more than perform — they crafted an experience that felt almost private, as if the audience had stepped into a shared love letter set to music. Skating to Once I Was Loved by Melody Gardot, the married pair radiated effortless harmony and authenticity.

Their edges flowed like silk, lifts rose with weightless precision, and every transition carried quiet intensity. The connection between them blurred the line between choreography and genuine emotion, creating an atmosphere that held the arena in hushed admiration before the applause finally thundered through.

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Evan Bates Shares Sweet Kiss with Wife Madison Chock After She Reveals He’s Been Chosen as Team USA Flag Bearer

Team USA hockey captain Hilary Knight was also selected as a flag bearer for the closing ceremony on Feb. 22

Madison Chock, Evan Bates.Credit : 

Today Show/Instagram

NEED TO KNOW

Team USA revealed who its flag-bearers will be at the Winter Olympics closing ceremony
Ice dancer Evan Bates and hockey captain Hilary Knight were selected for the honor
Bates learned the news after a ruse by his wife and partner Madison Chock

After their gold-medal hopes were dashed earlier this week, Madison Chock and Evan Bates’ Olympic memories just got a bit sweeter.

In a speech to her fellow Team USA figure skaters, Chock surprised her husband and ice dancing partner with news that he had been selected as a flag bearer for the closing ceremony.

“It’s my great honor to share this experience with you,” Chock, 33, told her teammates. “And now that we’ve had such a wonderful week, I want to present Evan with something. You’ve been selected as the closing flag bearer.”

Members of Team USA then erupted into cheers as Bates, 36, embraced his wife and the two kissed.

For the duo, the happy announcement came days after “disappointment” following the ice dancing competition in which they won the silver medal and found themselves amid a judging controversy.

“I think there were a lot of emotions flooding through us yesterday. I think there was some disappointment for sure,” Chock told PEOPLE earlier this week, before she paused to collect herself amid tears.

She continued, “It’s been a long journey, but I certainly have a lot of pride for what we have accomplished, and who we’ve become on the way to those accomplishments. So in general, [we’re feeling] gratitude.”

Madison Chock and Evan Bates compete in the Figure Skating Ice Dance on day five of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan, Italy.Tang Xinyu/VCG via Getty

The pair fell just short to France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron in the event, scoring 1.43 points behind them. During a press conference after, Bates said he felt like he and Chock had delivered a “winning performance.”

Also on Friday, and hours after the Team USA hockey team won the gold against Canada, captain Hilary Knight learned that she has been chosen to be a flag bearer.

Hilary Knight appears on NBC’s ‘Today Show’ on Feb. 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy.Joe Scarnici/Getty

In a clip from the Today show, the five-time Olympian was surrounded by her teammates when she heard the happy news.

As her team delivered hugs, Knight reflected on the honor.

“It’s a dream come true,” the forward — who also got engaged to Team USA speed skater Brittany Bowe this Olympics — said.

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.