Madison Chock and Evan Bates Gush Over Working Together After Successful 2026 Winter Olympics: 'It's Been a Beautiful Experience'

Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who met as teenagers in Michigan's figure skating community, are totally in sync — on and off the ice.

"We love it. It’s special to share a passion with someone you love and work toward goals together. The journey is incredibly fulfilling. We’ve learned a lot about each other and what we need to maintain a healthy relationship. We get to share all the highs and lows of the sport together. Competitions even feel like mini vacations — we travel, experience new places, and go through it all side by side. It’s been a beautiful experience," the 33-year-old athlete exclusively tells OK! while talking about Nulo, which partnered with world-class athletes who understand the importance of proper nutrition and its role in overall health, performance and recovery.

The duo made headlines after winning three Olympic medals in ice dance at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. They secured a silver medal in the individual ice dance event, along with a gold medal in the 2026 team event, adding to their gold medal in the 2022 Beijing team event.

Even when they are not practicing or at the Olympics, "we talk about skating a lot," Bates, 36, shares. "It’s what we love — but we also know when to unwind. We’ll come home, relax, watch something, cook together and spend time with the dogs. That’s our way of decompressing. Since the Olympics, the stress level has gone down a bit, which is nice. Now it’s about rest and enjoying the moment, especially since we’ve been traveling nonstop since January."

The pair, who got married in 2024, are thrilled with how Milan went.

"Our goal was to deliver our best performances under pressure — and we did that," Chock admits. "We performed four of our best programs over six days. We checked every box and became the best versions of ourselves at that moment. That’s something we’re really proud of."

"It was incredible — definitely a great Olympics. Milan was a fantastic host, and having an audience again made a huge difference. Figure skating really felt like a marquee event this year. There was so much buzz — our teammates were amazing, and Team USA did incredibly well," she adds.

Since then, the duo has been "busier than ever" with exciting opportunities.

"We’ve been on a whirlwind post-Olympic tour — traveling coast to coast, doing appearances, seeing shows, and now touring with our Olympic castmates. It’s been the best post-Olympic experience we could have hoped for," Bates says. "Now we’re continuing that momentum with Stars on Ice. We have 29 shows — more than we’ve done in decades — and they’ve been sold out. One night we performed for 14,000 people. It feels amazing to be part of something that’s connecting with so many people."

For now, the couple is not thinking about the next Winter Olympics just yet.

"Each Olympic cycle is incredibly demanding, and we’ve given so much over the past four years. Right now, we’re taking time to enjoy life and figure out what we want next — whether that means continuing at the same level or shifting gears. We’re giving ourselves space to decide," she states.

In their downtime, the Olympians are relaxing with their two toy poodles, Henry and Stella.

"Henry is going to be 10 this year, and Stella is turning 14. They’re huge parts of our lives — they support us, and we bring them to the rink with us every day when we train. They love us no matter what we do on the ice," the brunette beauty shares.

The pair's partnership with Nulo is a no-brainer. "We also love partnering with Nulo because they celebrate the bond between people and their pets. Nutrition is really important to us as elite athletes, so it’s just as important that we feed our dogs the best. That’s why this partnership made so much sense — and it’s been great so far," she says.

Bates adds, "Nulo was incredible. They know we love pin trading, so they created custom Olympic pins of our dogs. They were so popular — we couldn’t believe it. We knew our dogs were cute, but we didn’t expect the pins to become such hot commodities in the Olympic Village. People wouldn’t even trade them — our friends were like, 'No, sorry, we’re keeping these.' It was really fun seeing other athletes wearing them."

Chock reveals the pups keep them both "grounded, happy and focused," especially after "long, tough training days."

"They’re always there to lift our spirits. That’s also why we want to give them the best. They absolutely love Nulo food — especially the signature stew. They have it for breakfast and dinner, along with dry kibble. And the freeze-dried food — when they hear that bag open, they come sprinting from anywhere. Even if we call them and they don’t respond, the second they hear that bag, they know — it’s Nulo time," she states.

Bates notes, "We walk them morning and night, and they come with us almost everywhere. We’ve really built our lives around them. There was a time when we’d leave them at home while we trained, but it didn’t feel right. Now they come to the rink every day. They run around the locker rooms, hang out by the Zamboni area — they’ve basically become the rink mascots. Everyone loves them. It’s like group therapy — people just come over to pet them and relax. There’s also a little outdoor area, so between sessions we take them out. Even in the snow, they love it. They’re such an integral part of our lives. We do everything with them."

He concludes, "We’re just really grateful. Nutrition is so important to us, and it means a lot to work with a company that cares just as much about our dogs as we do. We trust that even when we’re away, our dogs are getting the best care and nutrition. Also, Nulo is now partnered with U.S. Figure Skating, which is amazing. They bring service animals to competitions, giving skaters a chance to relax and decompress. Mental health is a big topic in our sport, and having that support makes a huge difference."