Madison Chock, Evan Bates on life, figure skating after Winter Olympics

The 2026 Winter Olympics ended more than two months ago, but Madison Chock and Evan Bates haven’t stopped. Fresh off winning team event gold and their first ice dance Olympic medal , the decorated American figure skating couple have kept things moving. While the four-year cycle has wrapped up, there hasn’t been much time to process it all.

However, there is one thing noticeably different than a few months ago: the figure skating hype is palpable. The Olympics is where stars are made, where a new American icon emerges every four years to captivate the country. It just so happens in 2026, there were plenty of stars coming from the ice.

Joining Chock and Bates is “Quad God” Ilia Malinin after his heroics clinched team gold and the stunning performance in the men’s competition, as well as the “Blade Angels” in Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito led by Olympic champion Alysa Liu , who grasped audiences of all demographics with her gold-medal winning free skate and viral gala program . All of it has led to a special time in the sport, with the momentum far from done. “It's been so exciting to see the excitement that people have for figure skating,” Chock told USA TODAY Sports.

USA TODAY Sports spoke with Chock and Bates as part of their partnership with Nulo, the pet food brand that was behind their iconic Olympic pins that featured their dogs, Stella and Henry, that became hot commodities in Milano Cortina. You would think after all that time away from home and their fur babies, Chock and Bates would be able to relax and spend time with their “nucleus. ” Think again.