Passion ruled in the Free Dance when three-time and reigning ISU World Champions Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) danced to their eighth ISU Grand Prix gold medal at the Cup of China Saturday in Chongqing. 

USA golden Flamenco

“The Matador and the Bull” Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) danced off with gold with a passionate Flamenco, taking the first step into the Olympic season. Young teammates Emilea Zingas/Vadym Kolsenik took the silver, the first ISU Grand Prix medal of their career, while France’s Evgeniia Lopareva/Geoffrey Brissaud claimed the bronze.

Chock/Bates brought Flamenco vibes to the ice, dancing to “Paint It Black”, showing off intricate footwork and innovative lifts. Chock once again had designed their unique costumes and used her long skirt to enhance the theme of the program. The three-time and reigning ISU World Champions picked up a level four for the combination lift and dance spin while the step sequences garnered a level three. The husband-and-wife-team scored 123.81 points and totaled 208.25 points for their victory. 

“We had a great time skating today. The crowd was amazing,” Chock said. “It felt really good to perform our Free Dance for the first time here in Chongqing. We feel like this was a great start to our season and we're excited to get back home and put in some more work before Skate America.”

The 2024 ISU Grand Prix Final Champions have a story to tell.

“I'm the matador and Evan is the bull and it's just a story about the challenge between the matador and the bull, the relationship of how we challenge each other and charge each other and then in the end come to a mutual respect for one another,” Chock explained. “I think it's really unique to perform as the matador. It's a strong feminine role for me and I'm really excited to dive into it and Evan is obviously an amazing bull, very strong.”

Chock/Bates pocketed 15 points for the ISU Grand Prix standings and are headed next to their home event Skate America looking to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix Final. 

Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) sealed gold with their matador-themed Free Dance at the ISU Grand Prix Cup of China in Chongqing © ISU

Zingas/Kolesnik’s romantic program to “Romeo and Juliet” was highlighted by excellent twizzles and beautiful lifts. The team posted a new personal best of 121.84 points for a total of 202.27 points, which was another personal best. 

“I'm having so much emotion inside of me right now, so much joy,” Kolesnik commented on winning their first ISU Grand Prix medal. “I feel like I won the Olympics, but this is just a silver medal at a Grand Prix. But for me, this is huge and I'm very excited looking forward to what's going to come.” 

“It feels really good,” Zingas agreed. “We have been working really hard and the last two seasons we've made some large mistakes on the Grand Prix, which set us back a little bit. I think we came out this year just really wanting to show ourselves and not thinking about the scores and not thinking about the result and just focusing on each other. Today and yesterday I feel we skated for each other and we skated for ourselves and I feel really happy that we were able to make that statement.” 

The team will compete again at the last ISU Grand Prix event Finlandia Trophy with a chance to get into the Final. 

Emilea Zingas/Vadym Kolesnik (USA) took the silver with a personal best in the Free Dance at the ISU Grand Prix Cup of China in Chongqing © ISU

Lopareva/Brissaud interpreted songs by Björk, producing smooth step sequences and cool lifts. The 2025 ISU European silver medalists ranked fourth in the Free Dance with 118.98 points but remained in third place overall at 196.60 points. 

“Today, for some reason we just felt a little bit more stressed,” Lopareva said. “But just like yesterday, we were focused on being grounded, being together, and put our emotional performance on top of that, and we felt like we nailed it today.”

The 2024 ISU Grand Prix finalists will compete again at Skate America hoping to make the Final again.

Evgeniia Lopareva/ Geoffrey Brissaud (FRA) finished with bronze following the Free Dance at the ISU Grand Prix Cup of China in Chongqing © ISU

Olivia Smart/Tim Dieck (ESP) pulled up from sixth to fourth place with their captivating dance “Dune II” (187.51 points). Hannah Lim/Ye Quan (KOR) came fifth on 185.79 points. Loicia Demougeot/Theo Le Mercier (FRA) placed sixth (184.20 points). 

ISU Grand Prix Standings

Check out who is on their way to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix Final:

Men                               Women                    Pairs                      Ice Dance

For full entry lists and further information regarding the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series please visit here.

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