Who is Evan Bates?
Where is Evan Bates from?
Evan Bates was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan by his father Eric, a cardiologist, and his mother Nancy, an artist. He is the youngest of three siblings, with one older brother, Andrew, and one older sister, Alexis. Bates graduated from Huron High School in 2007 before attending the University of Michigan for his undergraduate studies. He graduated from the university in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in organizational studies, the 52nd member of his family on his father's side to graduate from the school.
How old is Evan Bates in 2026?
Born on February 23, 1989, Bates will be 36 during the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. He will celebrate his 37th birthday just one day after the Closing Ceremony.
When did Evan Bates start figure skating?
Bates started skating at age 4 at Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club. He initially trained as a singles skater, landing jumps like the double Axel to test up to the junior level through USFSA's testing evaluations. Bates trained under retired Russian ice dancing pair Yuri Chesnichenko and Yaroslava Nechaeva following their move to the United States in 1999.
How did Evan Bates become an elite ice dancer?
In 2000, Bates started competing in ice dance on the juvenile level with partner Emily Samuelson at the recommendation of their coach, Gary Clark. The duo started competing internationally during the 2002-03 season. They qualified for the 2004 U.S. Championships, winning the novice bronze medal before going on to win the national novice title the following year. Bates and Samuelson debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit during the 2005-06 season. They claimed the silver medal at the junior level at nationals that season, qualifying for the 2006 World Junior Championships. Bates and Samuelson established themselves as competitors on the junior circuit, winning the 2008 World Junior Championships and securing two silver medals at the Junior Grand Prix Final. They marked their senior debut in 2008, swiping the silver medal at nationals that season.
Bates partnered with Chock in 2011 after suffering a complete laceration of his Achilles tendon, splitting with Samuelson the previous season. The duo consistently placed in the top 10 during senior competitions, winning their first gold medal together at the 2012 Nebelhorn Trophy. Chock and Bates established themselves as an elite ice dancing pair after earning silver at the 2013 U.S. Championships, naming them to the U.S. team for the Four Continents and World Team Trophy competitions later that season. Since then, the duo has found a consistent spot on competition podiums, winning three world championships, three Four Continents, two Grand Prix Finals, and six national titles.
Who is Evan Bates’ skating partner (Madison Chock)?
Chock is a 33-year-old American ice dancer who has been skating with Bates since 2011. She was born in Redondo Beach, California and began skating at age 5 after watching figure skating on television. She initially wasn't interested in ice dance until it was suggested she try it when she was 12. Chock partnered with Kurt Lingenfelter for one season on the intermediate level before joining Greg Zuerlein in 2006 at the novice level. She is the 2009 World Junior champion, 2008-09 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and 2011 U.S. national bronze medalist with Zuerlin. Chock and Bates started their partnership in July 2011 after Zuerlein decided to retire from the sport. Together with Bates, she is a three-time world champion, six-time national champion, and Olympic champion in the team event, establishing herself as one of the top ice dancers in the world.
How many Olympics has Evan Bates competed in?
Bates has competed in four Olympic Games, making history as the first U.S. skater in any discipline to skate in four Winter Olympics. His first Olympics was with Samuelson at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Following the pair's split, he skated with partner Chock at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games and the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games.
What makes Evan Bates one of the longest-tenured ice dancers in U.S. history?
Bates is known for his longevity with Chock, who he has been partnered with for 14 years. His gracefulness on ice combined with his artistic style have been consistent season after season, earning him spots on podiums during the Grand Prix circuit as well as during the U.S. Championships. His consistency has made him one of the top ice dancing prospects when selected to represent the U.S. on the international stage at the Olympics and World Team Trophy. He is able to back this consistency up with results, bringing home several medals, many of them gold, each season he skates.
Evan Bates Ice Dancing Career
What is Evan Bates’ career timeline in figure skating and ice dance?
- 2008: Wins gold at the World Junior Championships
- 2008: Debuts on the senior level at nationals
- 2010: Skates in his first Olympic Games
- 2011: Partners with Madison Chock
- 2013: Claims first national medal, a silver, with Chock
- 2014: Claims first Grand Prix Final medal, a silver, with Chock
- 2015: Wins first senior national title
- 2015: Claims first world medal, a silver, with Chock
- 2019: Wins first Four Continents
- 2020: Defends Four Continents title
- 2022: Wins Olympic gold in the team figure skating event
- 2023: Wins first Grand Prix Final
- 2023: Wins first world championships
- 2023: Sets world record in rhythm dance and free dance at World Team Trophy
- 2025: Wins fourth consecutive national title
- 2025: Becomes first U.S. ice dance pair to win three world titles
How many U.S. Championships has Evan Bates won with Madison Chock?
Bates and Chock are six-time U.S. national champions. The duo won their first U.S. Championships as a pair in 2015 after winning silver two years in a row behind six-time national champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White. Their second win came in 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. They went on to win four U.S. Championships in a row from 2022 to 2025.
How many world championship medals have Chock and Bates earned?
Together, Chock and Bates have won three world championships back-to-back. Prior to 2023, they placed on the podium three times in the eight championships they skated in together. They won their first world championship in 2023 in Saitama, Japan, becoming the first American ice dance pair to win a world title since Davis and White in 2013. The two went on to defend their title in 2024 in Montreal, Canada before claiming their third title in Boston in 2025.
How did Evan Bates perform at Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, and Beijing 2022 Olympics?
With Samuelson, Bates placed 11th overall in Vancouver. With Chock, Bates placed eighth in Sochi, ninth in PyeongChang, and fourth in Beijing in the individual competition. Chock and Bates were selected to participate in the team event in Beijing, where they competed in the free dance segment. The duo won the segment, helping the U.S. secure a silver medal in the event. After the Russian Olympic Committee was disqualified following Kamila Valieva's positive doping test, the U.S. won gold.
What are Chock and Bates’ signature programs and skating styles?
Chock and Bates are known for their creativity in portraying emotions and storytelling through their programs. Their dances are infused with unique narratives told through difficult lifts, artistic sequences, and vivid music. With Chock designing their costumes, the duo pushes the boundary of traditional skating outfits by opting for bold colors and designs that integrate a strong visual appeal to their dances.
How does Evan Bates compare to past U.S. ice dance greats like Charlie White and Ben Agosto?
In terms of gold medals, Bates is on par with White. Like White, Bates is a six-time national champion. White was known for his longevity and many accomplishments that he won alongside Davis during the longest-running U.S. ice-dancing partnership, something Bates can relate to. With Chock, he is one of the most decorated U.S. ice dancers, winning one more world championship than White but lacking the elusive individual ice dancing gold medal that White won at Sochi 2014. Bates has a longer, more decorated career than Ben Agosto. Agosto, alongside partner Tanith Belbin, was the first American to win an Olympic medal in ice dance, elevating American ice dance on the world stage. Bates has cemented the U.S.' status on the world stage at worlds and the Grand Prix Final, following in Agosto's footsteps.
Evan Bates' Road to 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics
Will Evan Bates compete at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics?
With Chock and Bates winning consecutive titles at several championships in the seasons since the 2022 Olympic Games, it is highly likely that they will secure a spot on the U.S. team for Milan Cortina. The two have experience on their side, having competed in three Olympics together and contributing to the gold-medal winning team event in 2022.
Could Evan Bates and Madison Chock win an Olympic medal in 2026?
Chock and Bates currently are in prime position to win an Olympic medal in 2026. They entered previous Olympics without having won many senior international competitions. They will be heading into the 2025-26 season as reigning world, national, and Grand Prix Final champions, having won all three back-to-back over the past two seasons. They likely will face competition from home favorites Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, the reigning European champions who placed second behind Chock and Bates twice during the last two Grand Prix Finals, and Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.
What programs and music are Chock and Bates preparing for Milan Cortina?
Chock and Bates have explored a variety of contemporary dance styles and music themes in their years of skating together. This season, they will be performing a rhythm dance with a Lenny Kravitz medley as well as a flamenco-inspired free dance.
What challenges could Evan Bates face at the 2026 Olympics?
While Bates and Chock are riding the high of a successful 2024-25 season as reigning world, national, and Grand Prix Final champions, they face stiff competition from a strong cohort of ice dancers, such as Guignard and Fabbri and Canadians Gilles and Poirier. They also face the pressure of winning an individual medal at the Olympics after their success in the seasons following the 2022 Olympic Games. Bates and Chock will have to maintain their peak performance from last season while contending with fatigue to finish on the podium at the 2026 Olympic Games.
How important would an Olympic medal be for Evan Bates’ career and legacy?
Chock and Bates have won almost every single major competition except for an Olympic medal in the individual ice dance event. They already are known for their longevity and recent successes in defending their golds at worlds and nationals. Winning a medal at the 2026 Olympic Games could solidify the pair as one of the greatest American ice dancing duos in history.
Why are fans searching “Evan Bates Milan Cortina Olympics 2026”?
This will be Bates' fifth Olympic Games. An Olympic medal in the individual ice dancing event is the one accomplishment missing from his highly-decorated career, and given his age, it's possible that Milan Cortina could be his last chance to win that elusive medal. Bates and Chock are coming into the 2026 Olympics off the backs of their most successful seasons to date, earning them many fans across the world who are eager to see them compete for the one medal they have yet to claim.
Evan Bates in Ice Dancing Competitions
What are Evan Bates’ biggest career highlights in ice dance?
Bates' biggest career highlights have come during his recent seasons. In addition to finally receiving his Olympic gold medal for the figure skating team event in Paris last summer, Bates is a reigning world, national, and Grand Prix Final champion with Chock. He won three consecutive world titles and also is a six-time national champion, winning four national titles in a row from 2022 to 2025. Bates also won back-to-back Grand Prix Final titles during his past two seasons in addition to being a three-time Four Continents champion.
What Grand Prix Final titles have Chock and Bates earned?
Chock and Bates won the Grand Prix final twice after claiming silver four times. They were assigned to their first Grand Prix events together during the 2013-14 season, and they competed in their first Grand Prix Final in 2014. In 2023, they were the first Americans in any skating discipline to make their seventh appearance in the Grand Prix Final. They won the rhythm dance with the highest score posted by any ice dance team that season as well as the free dance, claiming their first Grand Prix Final gold. They defended their title in 2024 in Grenoble after finishing first in both segments.
How does Evan Bates rank in ISU World Standings with Madison Chock?
Chock and Bates currently rank second in the ISU World Standings. Their consistency these past two seasons have earned them a permanent spot in the top 10, and their recent back-to-back titles at the world championships and Grand Prix Final establish them as one of the top ice dancing pairs in the world.
Evan Bates Fun Facts and Personal Life
What is Evan Bates’ net worth in 2026?
Bates' net worth is not readily available, but he consistently has gained endorsements and funding given his many accomplishments during her long-tenured ice dancing career.
How much does Evan Bates make from endorsements and sponsorships?
While it's not publicly available how much Bates makes from endorsements and sponsorships, he appears to work with MK Blades and Edea Skates on social media.
What skate brand and gear does Evan Bates use?
Bates is part of the Edea family, a prominent Italy-based skating gear company sponsoring several top-ranked skaters like Yuma Kagiyama, Isabeau Levito, and Kaori Sakamoto. Bates prefers the Flamenco Ice boot, a white and gold skate designed with increased range of movement for ice dance, and the Concerto, a black boot with an innovative decision to give skaters precise control on the ice.
How many followers does Evan Bates have on Instagram?
Bates has been a staple in the skating world since his professional debut. He currently has just over 70,000 followers on Instagram, a following which has continued to grow since winning several championships over the past few seasons. Bates also owns a joint Instagram account with Chock to promote their partnership and podcast, which currently has over 6,400 followers.
Is Evan Bates married or dating his partner Madison Chock?
Bates married Chock on June 20, 2024 on the island of O'ahu in Hawaii, where Chock's parents were born and raised. Bates asked Chock to marry him in Phuket, Thailand on June 11, 2022, after six years of dating. Steffany Hanlen, the couple's skating mentor and performance coach, officiated the ceremony, and Chock's mother, Barbara, performed the popular "Hawaiian Wedding Song." Chock wore a customized Vera Wang gown for the ceremony before donning a custom look designed by skate wear and fashion designer Mathieu Caron for the reception.
What are Evan Bates’ hobbies outside skating?
Bates enjoys playing golf and guitar outside skating. He owns two dogs, Henry and Stella, with Chock. The pair also host a podcast called 'Unlaced with Chock & Bates' where they give an inside look at the world of ice dancing with candid conversations and a look behind-the-scenes.
Has Evan Bates been featured in documentaries, interviews, or media profiles?
Bates has been a permanent fixture in the media since his senior debut. In addition to the podcast he shares with Chock, he starred in On Edge, an Olympic documentary that followed several ice dancing pairs like Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron training in Montreal, Canada ahead of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games. Chock and Bates have been the subject of several interviews and profiles with NBC, Team USA, Olympics.com, and On Ice Perspectives, and last summer, People Magazine did an exclusive feature on their wedding. The duo also has performed with Stars on Ice, the world's premier figure skating show.
What are some fun facts about Evan Bates’ skating journey and personality?
Bates is known for his down-to-earth personality, often found smiling both on and off the ice. He is not as prominent on social media as Chock, but he openly shows his love for her, his dogs, and golf on Instagram. As a University of Michigan graduate, he is an avid fan of Michigan sports, often trying to catch a football game when he can. Bates initially was a singles skater before he transitioned to ice dance when he first started skating.
Meet the Athletes
Learn more about the figure skaters set to compete at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.