By Matteo Morelli

We are ready: the ice dance competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano is starting. Twenty-three teams are ready to take the ice and experience the fantastic atmosphere that has already been enjoyed during the Team Event, which ended with a gold medal for Team USA with Madison Chock and Evan Bates, silver for Team Japan with Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita, and bronze for Team Italy with Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri.

The rhythm dance starts on Monday, February 9, at 19:20 CET. Let us have a look at what we can expect to see.

The Medal Hunt

Madison Chock and Evan Bates have just added another Olympic gold medal to the Team Event gold they won in 2022. Now ready to approach the individual event, the three-time consecutive World Champions and Grand Prix Final winners are among the top contenders at these Olympics. With this possibly being their last season, they will put up a strong fight to become the new Olympic champions. At the Team Event, they presented two solid programmes that placed them first in both the rhythm dance and free dance, showing that they are ready to do everything it takes to prove their worth.

Their biggest challenge is likely to come from France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who in their first year together have already become the new European Champions. This season, they have not yet beaten Chock and Bates, finishing behind them at the Grand Prix Final and in the Team Event rhythm dance. With Guillaume being the current Olympic champion and also a silver medallist from the 2018 Olympics, it is guaranteed that we will see a strong fight from him and his new partner as they aim for the highest step on the podium.

This season, Great Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson won a second bronze medal at the Grand Prix Final, showing how much they have climbed within the international rankings. Despite another bronze medal at this year’s European Championships, they won their first World bronze medal last season and finished third in the Team Event rhythm dance in Milano. With a new personal best, they place themselves firmly in contention for a potential podium finish.

Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are also in contention for a podium finish. At these Olympics, they competed in the rhythm dance during the Team Event, finishing in fourth place. This season, they missed the podium at the Grand Prix Final by a fraction of a point. However, they can rely on their two consecutive silver medals from the last two World Championships and will surely do everything they can to fight for a medal.

Italy’s Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri are already celebrating their bronze medal from the Team Event at these Olympics, a historic achievement for Team Italy. This season, they did not qualify for the Grand Prix Final but redeemed themselves by winning a silver medal at the European Championships, after having topped the continental podium for three consecutive years. With narrow margins between teams at this level, they will be eager to show everything they have in front of their home crowd.

The competition promises to showcase many interesting programmes, both from teams who have previously competed at the Winter Olympic Games, such as Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck, although with different partners, Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis, and Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, as well as teams making their Olympic debut, including Kateřina Mrázková and Daniel Mrázek, Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez, and Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik.

Having spoken with most teams in the mixed zone during both the Team Event and practice sessions, I am happy to share that the skaters are incredibly excited to be at the Olympics, and all look eager to enjoy every single moment in Milano!