2026 Olympic Figure Skating Team Event | Rhythm Dance

USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates set the pace for Team USA in the 2026 Olympic Figure Skating Team event on Friday in Milan, Italy. Ice Dancers took to the ice for the Rhythm Dance from the following qualifying countries: the United States, Japan, Italy, Canada, Georgia, France, Great Britain, Korea, China and Poland. Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron carried team France to second place, while Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson took Great Britain to third.

In the Olympic Team Event, teams earn points based on placement rather than raw score, with 10 points for first place down to one point for tenth. All teams skate the short programs and rhythm dance, but only the top five advance to the free skate and free dance, with points from all eight segments combined to determine the final standings. The standings after the Rhythm Dance are reflected at the end of the article.

Team USA

Madison Chock and Evan Bates showed lots of complex changes of hold and good push-pull chemistry in their routine to music by Lenny Kravitz. The three-time World champions racked up high grades of execution (GOEs) on all elements, including the level-four twizzles and rotational lift. The midline and pattern steps were very good, earning a level three. They picked up a season’s best of 91.06 for first place for Team USA (10 points).

“As we finished, I think we both felt the excitement in getting the Olympics on the way,” reflected Bates.

Chock felt it was a great start for Team USA.

“I’m really happy to be able to put out this performance for them as a team,” she said. “Overall, every event is different, and it will be judged according to the day. So, today’s today and tomorrow is going to be tomorrow.”

Bates shared that they would not take part in the Opening Ceremony in order to conserve their energy.

“We’ll maybe have our own little Olympic small celebration, take some team photos,” he said.

Team France

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron showcased a chic, self-assured rhythm dance brimming with attitude to “Vogue.” The newly crowned European champions displayed smooth twizzles, showing detail and seamless transitions throughout while paying homage to the original choreography of the dance from the 90s. The twizzles and rotational lift were graded a level four, while the midline and pattern steps earned a level three. They earned a new personal best score of 89.98, giving Team France nine points going into the next segment.

“We are just very happy to be stepping on the Olympic ice today. It felt very special,” said Cizeron. “It’s our first time doing the team event, so it was a very special experience hearing the crowds, seeing the rings, and you know, everything—this is everything we dream of as athletes. So, we are trying to grasp every moment. That was the main focus today: doing the team event and doing the free skate.”

“We will see how our teammates do today, and then we will regroup all of us together,” said Fournier Beaudry regarding the Free Dance. “I mean, we would love to the Free Dance, we would be open to it.”

Team Great Britain

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson brought sleek swagger and magnetic flair to their vibrant Spice Girls rhythm dance. The midline and pattern steps received a level three while the twizzles and rotational lift were a level four. The 2025 World bronze medalists picked up a new personal best score of 86.75, bringing Great Britain to eight points in the Team standings.

“It was electric!” said Fear. “It was a moment and a memory that I will cherish forever. I’m so proud of us for doing exactly what we trained. The pressure was on and there was so much going on, and it was just so much fun!”

“We skated to win and we really wanted to,” added Gibson. “We want to be in this position, but we are in a great place especially before next week.”

Team Canada

Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier strutted to third place with a season’s best score of 85.79 after serving a cheeky, runway-ready rhythm dance to “Supermodel” and “I’m Too Sexy.” The four-time World medalists were precise and committed throughout, picking up a level four on the twizzles and rotational lift.

“I think we feel really good,” said Poirier. “It was so nice to be back on the Olympic ice finally. We are so excited to be here. We have so much energy from the crowd. It felt really special, really felt like the Olympics in the best way possible, and that just made it such a pleasure and fun today.”

“Every little bit feels like an accomplishment,” added Piper. “So, we continue to do more and more. We’re very pleased with what we put down today.”

Team Italy

Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri thrilled the home crowd with a high-octane rhythm dance set to hits by Backstreet Boys. Their routine was highlighted by level-four twizzles and straightline lift. The two-time World medalists pocketed 83.54 points for a fifth-place finish for Team Italy.

“We are pleased with our performance,” said Fabbri. “To be honest, at this point of the career, it’s the most important thing you should look at. If you just check the scores all the time and you feel disappointed by the scores, then it’s better to stop. We are trying just to enjoy the competition, to enjoy the feelings on the ice. I would be fake if I told you that we are satisfied with the score we got today again compared to the scores that other teams got, but it’s not in our hands. As for the performance, I think we gave we gave it all.”

Team Georgia

Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin of Georgia placed sixth in the rhythm dance with 78.67 points. Their engaging rhythm dance to music by The Offspring was highlighted by their level-four twizzles and rotational lift.

“It’s been great,” said Smolkin. “I mean, in general, it’s been a bit exhausting, so we are trying to manage our excitement. I think the performance was quite good. We know we can do a bit better. We are still hoping for that 80, but maybe in the individual event.”

Team Korea

South Korea’s Hannah Lim and Ye Quan brought cinematic flair to the ice with a witty, character-filled Men in Black-themed routine, scoring 70.55 points for seventh place. Quan had a slight bobble on a twizzle which was graded a level three on his portion, but the 2023 World Junior silver medalists showed lots of character in their midline steps. They also earned a level four on the rotational lift.

Ye explained that he had been ill recently, although now recovered.

“My throat got damaged, so when I do cardio, it hurts, but when I skate, it was okay,” he shared. “I’m just coughing now, after it. But overall, considering all of that, I’m pretty happy with what we did today.”

Rounding out the field

Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita of Japan showed confidence and good ice coverage in their routine to “Stomp to My Beat” and “Butterfly,” placing eighth with 68.64 points.

“Today was so fun!” said Yoshida. “We really love the vibe of this event. It’s so fun to skate for a team, not just for ourselves, and we’re really here to do our best for Team Japan.”

China’s Shiyue Wang and Xinyu Liu scored 64.92 for their delightful routine to “Go Wild Alone” and “Flower Guardian.”

“At first, when we arrived here, it was a little bit hard because of the jet lag, but we enjoyed the competition a lot!” said Liu. “We hope that all the Chinese athletes can have the same amount of fun and will keep doing their best. We are very, very happy that we were able to represent China at out third Olympic Games.”

“The audience was very passionate,” added Wang. “We really enjoyed it. It was very fun to be the first team out.”

Sofiia Dovhal and Wiktor Kulesza of Poland earned a new personal best of 60.23 in their debut at this event.

“I really, really had such powerful emotions at the end of the skate,” said Dovhal. “It honestly feels like a dream come true. My emotions were so big. I’m so thankful to every coach, to my partner, and to all the friends who supported us. It’s a really beautiful moment that we shared together. We both have the same goal, and we both try to go as far as possible. It’s great to do this with such a great friend by my side.”

“Now it’s our turn to cheer on our teammates as hard as we can,” said Kulesza.

The Team Event continued on Friday with the Pairs’ and Women’s Short Programs.

Related info:

• Official Results
• Olympic Qualification System for Figure Skating
• Competition Threads
• Replay Lounge
• More Olympic Figure Skating news

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