Figure skating fans who tuned in to see the highly anticipated performance from Madison Chock and Evan Bates at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics on Wednesday may have noticed a slight change in their routine.
Chock and Bates came just short of winning gold with their Wednesday ice dance free skate performance, despite earning a season-best score of 134.67.
The two-time Olympic gold medalists in the team event performed to an instrumental version of “Paint it Black” from the dystopian sci-fi show “Westworld.”
Eagle-eyed Olympics watchers may have noticed Chock changed the skirt of her flamenco-inspired matador costume from one she wore during a practice session on February 2.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates from the Figure Skating Ice Dance free skate at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics on Feb 11, 2026. Credit: Associated Press.
She competed in a skirt that fades from black to red for the competition, a slight change from a skirt with an all-black exterior and red lining she wore during the practice session.
![[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 2, 2026, ITALY; Madison Chock and Evan Bates (USA) practices at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in preparation for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Mandatory Credit: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters via Imagn Images](https://media.nbcchicago.com/2026/02/USATSI_28143179.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=218%2C123)
Feb 2, 2026, ITALY; Madison Chock and Evan Bates (USA) practices at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in preparation for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Credit: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters via Imagn Images
Chock uses the colors of the skirt to enhance the routine in which she plays the role of a matador and Bates the bull.
Though their performance earned a season-best score of 134.67, Chock and Bates came just short of winning gold.
French ice dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron took first with a score of 90.18 amid a controversy related to their former partners.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates call their Olympic silver bittersweet, saying they are proud of how they skated and grateful for their 15 year journey together.
