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Did a few points decide the podium?
Madison Chock and Evan Bates left the ice in Milan with a silver medal, applause ringing in their ears and a few lingering questions about how the judges tallied the scores. Their free dance — a matador-tinged take on The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It, Black” — connected with the crowd and visibly moved the team. They spoke proudly of their performances, but the narrow final margin between them and the French winners became the headline.
The numbers were close. After the free dance Chock and Bates finished on 224.39 points (free dance 134.67), a hair under the French total of 225.82 (free dance 135.64). They entered the free dance trailing by just 0.46 points and ultimately lost out by 1.43. In judged sport, differences that small are often the difference between gold and silver — and between celebration and controversy.
What Chock and Bates said about the judging
Rather than issuing a public protest, Chock and Bates offered measured remarks that emphasized respect for the process and for the sport. They described a “roller coaster of emotions” in the final 24 hours but framed their response around confidence in their skating and the satisfaction of delivering four strong Olympic programs, rather than mounting an attack on the judges.
Bates acknowledged the intrinsic subjectivity of judged disciplines: technical calls can be precise, but artistry and interpretation naturally invite varied readings. Their approach kept the conversation focused on performance and gradual reform rather than immediate drama.
Score breakdown and where questions arose
Attention quickly moved to the judges’ scorecards. On paper, one judge — the French representative — placed the French team noticeably higher than Chock and Bates in both the rhythm and free dances. Several panel members awarded the French team multiple points more than the Americans; no judge gave Chock and Bates a comparable edge. That pattern, compounded across panels, produced the slim advantage that decided the podium.
The International Skating Union responded by reminding observers that some variation among judges is to be expected and that it uses oversight procedures to spot outliers and maintain consistency. Still, when discrepancies align with national representation, online debate about possible bias and judge-to-judge variability flares up — and with it, calls for greater transparency.
How judged sports work — and why small margins matter
Figure skating scoring blends objective technical evaluation with subjective program-component marks. Technical elements — rotations, edges, levels — are governed by defined rules. Program components measure interpretation, musicality and A single Grade of Execution or a handful of tenths across components can tilt a close contest.
Statistical spread in panel scores doesn’t prove wrongdoing, but systematic one-sided gaps merit investigation. Federations rely on anonymized monitoring, referee oversight and post-competition reviews to identify and correct anomalies. Those tools can reduce noise, but they can’t remove the human element from assessments of artistry.
Rivals, past delays, and perspective
Chock and Bates’ reaction was also shaped by experience. The pair were retroactively declared rightful gold medalists in the team event at the 2026 Beijing Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport resolved a doping case earlier this year. They waited more than two years to receive medals that had originally been given to others. That prolonged uncertainty left a mark; it taught them how governance, anti-doping processes and administrative timetables can directly affect careers, opportunities and athletes’ mental health.
That history explains why they avoided public condemnation of their French rivals. Instead, they urged compassion when judging past incidents — especially if those events involved younger athletes — and asked for clearer timelines and greater transparency from governing bodies so athletes aren’t left in limbo.
Putting the result in context
The numbers were close. After the free dance Chock and Bates finished on 224.39 points (free dance 134.67), a hair under the French total of 225.82 (free dance 135.64). They entered the free dance trailing by just 0.46 points and ultimately lost out by 1.43. In judged sport, differences that small are often the difference between gold and silver — and between celebration and controversy.0
The numbers were close. After the free dance Chock and Bates finished on 224.39 points (free dance 134.67), a hair under the French total of 225.82 (free dance 135.64). They entered the free dance trailing by just 0.46 points and ultimately lost out by 1.43. In judged sport, differences that small are often the difference between gold and silver — and between celebration and controversy.1
Final note
The numbers were close. After the free dance Chock and Bates finished on 224.39 points (free dance 134.67), a hair under the French total of 225.82 (free dance 135.64). They entered the free dance trailing by just 0.46 points and ultimately lost out by 1.43. In judged sport, differences that small are often the difference between gold and silver — and between celebration and controversy.2