Madison Chock, Evan Bates respond, thank fans after free dance fall

Even after a fall in the free dance left Madison Chock and Evan Bates out of ice dance medal contention, the two kept skating. The duo caught each other’s blades while entering a lift, and they both went down. They jumped right back up and continued their program, but a ninth place finish overall was the best they could muster.

After leaving the rink in tears, Chock spoke (tweeted) out about the aftermath of the fall, thanking their supporters.

Recommended Videos



Bates also took to Twitter, talking about how the pair aimed to “deliver a message of hope and positivity,” but ended up receiving the hope and positivity from fans who reached out to them after the free dance.

Chock and Bates sat in seventh coming out of the short dance and but weren’t out of the running for the podium. But their free dance, set to John Lennon’s Imagine, ended their chances, and for the second Games in a row, Chock and Bates will leave the Olympics empty handed. They finished eighth at the 2014 Sochi Games. Bates competed in the 2010 Olympics with another partner, finishing 11th.

Going into the Olympics, Chock and Bates generated buzz for being one of the few real-life couples in ice dancing. The two teamed up on the ice in 2011 and got together off the ice in 2016. The two say their relationship helps strengthen their chemistry on the ice.