When Madison Chock and Evan Bates take the ice Saturday night at the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis. Missouri, it well could be for the final time at nationals. While they have not announced plans for retirement, the married couple who are in their 15th year competing together, aren’t shy that they are nearing the end of the road.

“We’ve tried to not get too emotional, just with the nostalgia of this event and the 15-year journey that we’ve been on,” Bates said. “The ultimate payback is to skate well, but we also want to just enjoy that moment, because it’s fleeting and it could very well be the last.”

Chock and Bates, who are favorites for Olympic gold in February, have a nearly-unmatched roster of successes. Olympic team gold medalists, three-time world champions, three-time Four Continents champions, three-time Grand Prix Final champions, six-time national champions (with a record-breaking 7th on the table in St. Louis), and an insane 22 Grand Prix medals – it’s safe to say the duo will go in the books as one of the greatest ice dance couples in history.

In the weeks before heading to the championships, Chock said they were feeling strong, with training going as planned, just trying to be present in every moment. Bates agreed. “We were really happy with the Grand Prix [Final, in December], and since then, we did some improvements to our programs and we've been training consistently and just plugging away,” Bates said. “We've had a really great support system, and we've worked together with all of them to just make a great plan for ourselves and make sure we put ourselves in the best place heading into Milan.”

Since the 2017-18 season, Chock and Bates have trained at the famed Ice Academy of Montreal under two-time world silver medalists Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, along with a slew of high caliber coaches. The skating school trains a large number of the world’s top ice dance teams, and Chock and Bates said the energy at the rink heading into the Olympics was palpable.

“The rink is really electric and there's a great energy and a vibe to the atmosphere,” Chock said. “When everyone's in town, it's a really good vibe and a great dynamic.”

As important as U.S. nationals are in the American figure skating calendar – especially in an Olympic year when it’s a key component in the Olympic team selection process –  for Chock and Bates the goal is Milan Cortina in February. 

“Our goal for nationals is just executing our programs in a way it feels fun, joyous, and solid to us – that would be our biggest win,” Chock said.

They achieved that in their rhythm dance when they came in 1st with 91.70 points in St. Louis. “We were very present and grounded and able to enjoy the energy of the arena and the energy between the two of us. We felt like this was a great skate and a good stepping stone towards Milan.” Chock said after the segment finished.

Chock and Bates compete focused on the task ahead – Olympic gold in the individual event – but also with an eye on the events that brought them to the point.

“I'm so grateful to my mom for putting me on the ice when I was 4 years old,” Bates said. “It completely changed the course of my life.”

Having met one another long before they became partners on the ice and eventually off the ice also, marrying in 2024, this week represents not just the most important stepping stone toward a fourth Olympic Games together, but a swan song for everything they have achieved so far.

“It really is such a blessing to have had the longevity that we've had and to still be so passionate about our craft and what we do,” Chock said. “I think skating is such a unique sport and a unique world to be a part of, and we feel really honored to have spent such a big part of our lives surrounded by the friends and the family that we've made in skating.”

The 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championship continues live on NBC and USA Network, streaming on Peacock.