Two American duos have a chance for medals in the 2022 Winter Olympics ice dance competition.
Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue enter the free dance in third place thanks to a marvelous 87.13 score in the rhythm dance on Saturday. Right behind them in the standings are Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who placed fourth in the rhythm dance with an 84.14 score.
Hubbell and Donohue are hoping to avoid a repeat of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, where they finished fourth overall and another American pair (Maia and Alex Shibutani) earned bronze. Chock and Bates, meanwhile, are in line for a better result after placing ninth in PyeongChang.
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Based on the way the rhythm dance shook out, the two American pairs might be jostling for bronze. France’s Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, the reigning Olympic silver medalists, got the top mark in the rhythm dance with a 90.83. ROC’s Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalopov landed in second with an 88.85.
Lower in the rhythm dance standings is another American team. Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker earned the 11th-best score of 74.58.
Twenty of 23 pairs advanced from Saturday’s rhythm dance to Sunday’s free dance final. The teams will take the ice in order from lowest to highest rhythm dance score, meaning Chock and Bates will go 17th and immediately be followed up by Hubbell and Donohue.
Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
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The free dance begins at 8:15 p.m. ET from Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing.
