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.
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France won gold in figure skating ice dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The U.S. ice dance pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the silver medal with a total of 224.39 points after scoring a 134.67 in their free dance.Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of United States perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.
Piper Gilles and partner Paul Poirier of Team Canada compete in the during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Britain perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.
Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.
Canada's Zachary Lagha and Marjorie Lajoie compete in the figure skating ice dance-free dance final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 11, 2026.
1 / 20All eyes on Ice Dance finals as Team USA chases Olympic goldLaurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France won gold in figure skating ice dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The U.S. ice dance pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the silver medal with a total of 224.39 points after scoring a 134.67 in their free dance.Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France won gold in figure skating ice dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The U.S. ice dance pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the silver medal with a total of 224.39 points after scoring a 134.67 in their free dance.Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of United States perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.
Piper Gilles and partner Paul Poirier of Team Canada compete in the during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Britain perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.
Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.
Canada's Zachary Lagha and Marjorie Lajoie compete in the figure skating ice dance-free dance final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 11, 2026.