The Olympic figure skating event got underway just ahead of the official Opening Ceremony at the Milan Cortina Winter Games on Friday, and for three-time world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the event marked their fourth and fifth outings on Olympic ice respectively. 

Yet the veteran athletes said the experience feels no less special.

“Any time you get the opportunity to compete at the Olympics, you want to cherish it," Chock said.

“I just feel excited,” Bates said when asked if he felt extra pressure as favorites for team gold. “I’m so happy for our sport, for U.S. Figure Skating.”

Bates said that, more than ever, the skaters on Team USA hoped to bring figure skating back to the forefront of pop culture. After the '90s golden age of the sport, when the sport’s stars became household names, figure skating experienced a drop in viewership and popularity. 

A complicated new judging system, that fans first said was hard to understand, and a few controversies have long been blamed for the decline, but today’s Olympic skaters are ready to change the narrative.

“This generation of skaters are so fun, they’re so entertaining, and I think we have the firepower to make skating popular again,” Bates said. “Hopefully this Olympics will do that.”

Despite making no official statements, Chock and Bates have indicated this will be their final competitive season, and after 15 years, the husband-and-wife duo are regularly referred to as “mom and dad” by the other, younger skaters. 

It’s a comment made in jest, but for seven-time U.S. national champions, the role is one they take seriously.

“We’re here if they need us for anything,” Chock said. “We want to lend support whenever — if ever — they need it. They are all incredibly professional athletes, and very gifted young people with good heads on their shoulders.”

Chock added that she has full confidence in their ability to deliver for Team USA in the team event and beyond, but she hopes they’re also able to have a good time, have fun and take in the moment.

Chock and Bates are the only Team USA members in 2026 that also participated in the team event in Beijing in 2022 — an event that culminated in a messy and protracted wait for gold following the disqualification of ROC team member Kamila Valieva. 

But Chock said they weren’t thinking about the past, instead focused on the long arc of their careers.

“We’re thinking about the 15 years we’ve spent together. The four Olympics. And making the most of this opportunity,” Chock said “So, there’s nothing but positives for us here.”

This time, Team USA faces its toughest competition from Japan. Currently, Team USA is edging Japan by two points — a lead the U.S. is likely to extend when Ilia Malinin skates in the men’s short program. 

Chock and Bates are both optimistic.

“This team in particular is so deep, so talented, and has a great opportunity for a gold medal. So, that’s what we’re focused on,” Bates said. 

The team event final will begin with the free dance at 4 p.m. ET, and Chock and Bates are slated to compete once again for Team USA.