Chock/Bates (USA) crowned World Champions
Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) entered their 10th World Championship as a team, with the goal in mind to take home the title – and their dream came true in Saitama. Charlène Guignard/Marco Fabbri of Italy skated off with the silver – their first World medal since their debut at the event in 2011. Canadians Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier earned the bronze, as they had in 2021.
Chock/Bates stepped on to the ice as the last couple, and put a spell on the crowd the second they began their dance to “Souffrance” and “Les Tectoniques”, portraying the spirits of air and fire. They produced effortless-looking yet difficult steps, lifts, twizzles and a dance spin that all garnered a level four, the highest degree of difficulty.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates (USA) win gold in the Ice Dance at the World Championships in Saitama (JPN) © ISU
Even when Chock suddenly slipped and fell, she was back up and into the program within a split second. The couple had to wait a few anxious minutes in the ‘Kiss and Cry’ wondering whether the fall had cost them the title, but hugged in relief and happiness when their scores came up: a personal best of 134.07 for the Free Dance and a total of 226.01 points. After one silver and two bronze medals, they finally had gold.
“This has been the goal of us for such a long time, and it was such an experience here in Saitama with the crowd supporting us, cheering for us. It was incredible,” Chock said.
“This season has certainly unfolded in many unexpected ways, but all paths have led to this moment. We learned lot about ourselves and what we want to achieve.
“We had to dig very, very deep many times, but I know we would not be sitting here without all this experience,” she added. The fall came as a shock to her: “I just caught my heel on the ice and it was so surprising.”
“I don’t think it’s really sunk in it,” Bates said. “We’ve been pursuing this goal for so many years. It was exciting and stressful all at the same time. I know that the ice dance field is very competitive. We’ve competed against all these teams for so many years.
“We really wanted to focus on ourselves, and skate our best, and highlight all the work that we’ve put this year into these programs – and hopefully gave an entertaining performance to everybody.”
Guignard/Fabbri’s intense dance to “My Love Will Never Die” from the “Lucifer” series gave the crowd the goose bumps. The reigning European Champions executed intricate footwork and interesting lifts, collecting a level four for five elements and a level three for the one foot step sequence.
Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri (ITA) take silver in the Ice Dance at the WorldChampionships in Saitama © ISU
However, Fabbri seemed a little hesitant on the twizzle. Nevertheless, the Italians netted 131.64 points, a personal best, and racked up 219.85 points to win the first World Ice Dance medal for Italy since 2014.
“This medal means so much. It is an incredible reward for many years of hard work, difficult moments, up and downs,” Fabbri said. “We skated with our heart today. I still can’t believe we got the silver medal.
“The twizzle was not perfect and I kept thinking the whole time: ‘This was it, we gave away the medal’. So at the end of the program, we didn't know if it was enough to make it to the podium. We came here for a medal, but second place is unbelievable.”
Gilles/Poirier put on another beautiful performance of their “Evita” program, which was highlighted by their lifts and steps. The ISU Grand Prix Final Champions got a level four for the lifts and the dance spin and her twizzles, while the step sequences were rated a level three.
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (CAN) take bronze in the Ice Dance at the World Championships in Saitama (JPN) © ISU
With a Free Dance score of 130.54 and total score of 217.88 points, the Canadians returned to the World podium.
“We’re really satisfied with today’s performance,” Poirier said. “I just feel so full and happy and grateful for what we were able to do today.
“It’s just such a big difference from how we felt at the World Championships last year, and I think that’s the thing I want to take with me most.”
Gilles added: “We’re really happy with the medal. It has been such a special year, so just finishing this season with a medal gives us confidence knowing that we did our job this season.
“We enjoyed it, we didn’t put too much pressure on ourselves. We were learning so much about how to portray ourselves on the ice so that we don’t overthink. It’s a special moment for the two of us, and we’re really proud of ourselves,” she continued.
2023 ISU European silver medalists Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) came fourth with their entertaining dance to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” on 214.73 points. ISU Four Continents silver medalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry/Nikolaj Soerensen (CAN) finished fifth at 214.04 points. Caroline Green/Michael Parsons (USA) placed sixth in their World Championship debut (201.44 points).
Skaters/Couples need to have obtained a minimum total technical score in Short Program and Free Skating in order to compete at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.
Following the IOC recommendation and in order to protect the integrity of ice skating competitions and for the safety of all the participants of international ice skating competitions, the ISU Council based on Article 17.1.q)i) of the ISU Constitution, agreed that with immediate effect and until further notice, no Skaters belonging to the ISU Members in Russia (Russian Skating Union and the Figure Skating Federation of Russia) and Belarus (Skating Union of Belarus) shall be invited or allowed to participate in International ice skating competitions including ISU Championships and other ISU Events. The same applies to Officials listed in the respective ISU Communications and/or Regulations under Russia and Belarus (see ISU Communication 2469).
Schedule of the event
The schedule of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships is as follows:
Wednesday, March 22: Pairs & Women’s Short Programs
Thursday, March 23: Pairs Free Skating & Men’s Short Program
Friday, March 24: Rhythm Dance & Women’s Free Skating
Saturday, March 25: Free Dance & Men’s Free Skating
Sunday, March 26: Exhibition Gala
For full entries and results, please see the ISU event page and the official website. Follow the discussion on social media using #WorldFigure and #FigureSkating.
Where to watch the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2023:
The ISU World Figure Skating Championships will be live streamed on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. Geo-restrictions will apply in markets where TV rights are in place. You will find the full list on the Where to Watch webpage here.
Subscribe to the Skating ISU YouTube Channel to receive alerts when the live streams start and when new videos are posted.
.png)
