Madison Chock has dazzled audiences worldwide with her ice dancing, yet her journey has not been without personal hurdles. Alongside her renowned partner Evan Bates, she delivered electrifying performances at the Milan Games, helping Team USA surge ahead in the standings with standout routines in both the rhythm and free dance events.
Chock is making her fourth Olympic appearance, and alongside Bates, the pair are the only returning members from the Beijing 2022 gold medal-winning team.
Madison Chock’s Support for the Diabetes Community
Born in sun-soaked Redondo Beach, California, Chock grew up with her father, Wesley, a Hawaiian native with Chinese-Hawaiian roots and a career as a flight attendant, and her mother, Barbara, a former backup singer for Don Ho. When Chock turned 12, the family made a bold move to Novi, Michigan, to nurture her blossoming ice-dancing dreams.
Barbara was faced with a setback when she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, leading to Madison showing her support for her mother by endorsing the once-weekly injectable medication Mounjaro as a Type 2 Diabetes Awareness Ally. This helped her celebrate and shine a light on the strength and inspiring stories of determination within the type 2 diabetes community.
Mounjaro is manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company, a U.S.-based pharmaceutical giant. In the endorsement, Madison also confirmed that she does not have type 2 diabetes and that she does not take Mounjaro.
Chock and Bates on Their Impressive Display in Milan
Chock and Bates helped Team USA to the top of the standings after scoring a combined 224.29 points in the team event rhythm and free dances on Feb. 6-7, marking their season-best scores in both events. Following this display, the pair made their feelings known about their performance.
“It felt very calm and very present,” Chock said. “It was a great feeling to have, taking Olympic ice with that feeling, with that intention and we really savoured the moment.”
“It’s just a progression. Each time we step out, we are competing with ourselves. It’s very cliche, but it is our mindset and it is our approach and it’s how we have stayed focused and it’s how we’ve been training.” said Bates.
In the rhythm dance, Chock and Bates wowed with a world-leading 91.06 points set to a Lenny Kravitz medley, earning 10 crucial points for Team USA. Their flamenco-inspired “Paint It Black” free dance added another 133.23 points to their impressive tally. Team USA has won a medal in the team event at every Olympic Winter Games since the event began in 2014, and will be looking to continue that streak this year.
