Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates became the first ice dancers to win three consecutive world championships in nearly three decades Saturday night, and the Americans were holding onto first place with their jazzy free skate after a strong performance by Canadian rivals Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.
Chock and Bates finished with 222.06 points, while Gilles and Poirier took the silver medal for the second straight year with 216.54. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson landed on the podium in third, earning Britain’s first world medal since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean finished their run of four straight ice dance titles in 1984.
Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov were the last to win three in a row, triumphing four straight times for Russia from 1994-97.
“Coming in here, we weren’t thinking about a three-peat or any type of title defense. It was a standalone event,” Bates said. “We were as prepared as we could possibly be, and we skated as well as we could have.”
The Americans and Canadians have dominated ice dance in recent years, winning six of the nine medals awarded in the past three years.
The rivalry between the teams of Chock and Bates and Gilles and Poirier has become one of the most intense in recent years, and this year had the added spice of geopolitical tension between their respective countries.
The U.S. and Canada are engaged in an unprecedented trade war after President Donald Trump imposed a series of tariffs against Canada, prompting retaliatory tariffs in response.
The tension from the ongoing trade war has spilled into sports.
The sports tension was first exposed during the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off tournament from Feb. 12-20. Fans in Canada booed the U.S. national anthem while fans in the U.S. booed the Canadian national anthem ahead of multiple games.
It started Feb. 13, when Canadian fans in Montreal booed the U.S. national anthem after Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on Canada and suggestion the country should become America’s 51st state.
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The booing prompted brawls between Canadian and U.S. players in the first meeting of the tournament between the two teams Feb. 15. The U.S. won that game 3-1.
The Canadian national anthem was then booed at TD Garden in Boston before a 4 Nations game between Canada and Finland.
The U.S. and Canada then met in the final Feb. 20, and American fans in Boston again booed the Canadian national anthem, albeit with a lighter tone. Canada won the game in overtime, 3-2.
Since then, hostile rhetoric between the two countries, including in sports, has only escalated. NHL games involving teams based in Canada and the U.S. have often featured booing during pregame national anthems of the visiting team.
Fans at WWE Elimination Chamber in Toronto booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” ahead of the event. Star sports commentator Pat McAfee loudly lambasted the Canadian fans for booing and the country as a whole in response during the Peacock broadcast.
“It kind of sucks that it’s in the terrible country of Canada that booed our national anthem to start this entire thing,” McAfee shouted at the broadcast table.
McAfee has since said he has received death threats against his infant daughter for the comments.
Canadian men’s soccer coach Jesse Marsch blasted Trump for his “51st state” remarks, calling them “insulting.” During CONCACAF Nations League media day, Marsch said he was “ashamed” of how Canada had been insulted by the president.
“If I have one message to our president, it’s lay off the ridiculous rhetoric about Canada being the 51st state,” Marsch said. “As an American, I’m ashamed of the arrogance and disregard we’ve shown one of our historically oldest, strongest and most loyal allies. But one thing’s for sure: When I look forward a month from now, this will fuel our team. The mentality we have, the will we have to play for our country.”
NHL legend Wayne Gretzky has also been criticized by fellow Canadians for his apparent support of Trump, who recently said he had asked Gretzky to become the next “governor of Canada” after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would be resigning.
After Gretzky expressed support for “Canada remaining a separate country, rather than becoming a cherished and beautiful 51st State,” Trump declared Gretzky a “free agent.”
Now, the U.S. has notched a victory in the heightened sports rivalry courtesy of Bates and Chock, but the stakes will be higher in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics next year.
Chock and Bates were part of the U.S. squad that won team gold at the 2022 Games in Beijing after a protracted investigation into Russian doping. But, for all their success, Chock and Bates have never stood on an Olympic podium in ice dance, finishing in fourth place three years ago.
“I think the Olympic season certainly carries a different weight than the other three years,” Chock said. “You have this incredible opportunity to reach the entire world, and it makes it really special because it amplifies our voices on and off the ice.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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