Chock and Bates power US team to open Olympic figure skating

• Ice dance duo give US early lead in the team event

• Alysa Liu places second in women's short program

• Vance and Rubio in attendance for opening session

The United States seized early control of the Olympic figure skating team event after Friday's opening day on the southern outskirts of Milan, powered by a world's best score this season from Madison Chock and Evan Bates.

The three-time world champions, together on skates since 2011 and married since 2024, set the marker with 91.06 points for their program to music by The Guess Who and Lenny Kravitz, earning the maximum 10 points for an American team entering the Winter Games on a tailwind of hype.
Chock and Bates, nearly unbeatable since finishing fourth in the individual ice dance event at the Beijing Games four years ago, skated with the precision and polish that have defined their rise to the top of the sport.