Madison Chock and Evan Bates both remember the moment everything changed.
The Team USA ice dancers — widely regarded as the best duo in the world and the favorites to win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy — were originally paired together in 2011.
Over time, however, their professional partnership blossomed into something more.
“There’s definitely a moment that I recall,” Bates, 36, exclusively told Us Weekly alongside Chock, 33, via their partnership with Nulo. “We skated together for five years and it was just a friendship, but the friendship was good. From day one we always had a connection. We were laughing, we enjoyed our time together. It made skating so fun. Over the five years, we had success, but also didn’t have success. We had a lot of trying times. In those trying times, I really realized how much I relied on Maddie and really felt connected to her in a way that went beyond just as a skating partner.”
As the pair prepared to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Bates had the impression “it was going to be the end of the road for us as a career.”
“I remember thinking, ‘I can’t really imagine one day walking out of the rink and going our separate ways, being friends and just not seeing each other anymore,’’’ Bates said. “I made the realization, I shared the realization and, luckily, the realization was reciprocated. That changed everything in our relationship and our partnership.”
Bates added, “Since that moment, we’ve been pretty much inseparable.”
Chock remembers the moment, too, admitting she was “so surprised” by Bates’ admission.
“It really just came out of the blue for me,” she told Us. “I knew we always had an incredible chemistry. We had so much fun together. We were great friends. Training was always fun because we always just got along. We had the same work ethic. But when he told me how he felt, I was so surprised because I didn’t see it coming at all.”
Chock continued, “When I really sat with it and thought about it, I was like, ‘Wait a minute. I feel the same things about you. This is incredible.’”
The couple got married in Hawaii in June 2024.
“Our day-to-day life is certainly very similar, if not completely unchanged with training and our typical routine that we have gotten used to over the years,” Chock said of life as husband and wife. “But I would say after we got married there was definitely a shift in the emotional connection and pull towards each other. It’s definitely much stronger.”
Evan Bates, Madison Chock Courtesy of Nulo
Chock added, “It’s very rooted in love and our commitment to each other, and our commitment in wanting to continue to improve as people moving forward and be the best partners we can be to each other.”
With the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on the horizon, Chock and Bates have partnered with Nulo’s “Fuel Incredible” campaign, designed to highlight the unique bond between athletes and their pets.
Chock and Bates are parents to toy poodles Stella, 13, and Henry, 9.
“Henry and Stella are a huge part of our lives,” Chock said. “Skating is a huge part, but Henry and Stella are right there along with us. They’re really an active part of our entire day.”
During training, Chock said both dogs “come with us to the rink on a daily basis.”
‘When we have a break, they run around and they greet everybody in the locker room,” Chock explained. “They just brighten spirits at the rink when everyone’s going through the ringer. Doing their run-throughs, having some grueling training sessions. Henry and Stella bring everybody so much joy.”
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