Evan Bates (born February 23, 1989) is an American ice dancer. With his wife and skating partner, Madison Chock, he is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the team event (2022, 2026), the 2026 Winter Olympics silver medalist, a three-time World champion (2023, 2024 and 2025), three-time Grand Prix Final champion (2023–24, 2024–25 and 2025–26), a three-time Four Continents champion (2019, 2020, 2023), a twenty-two-time ISU Grand Prix medalist (nine golds, eleven silvers, two bronzes), ten-time ISU Challenger Series medalist (four golds, five silver, one bronze), and a seven-time U.S. national champion (2015, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026). The two represented the United States at the 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026 Winter Olympics. He served as flag bearer for the United States during the closing ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
With former partner Emily Samuelson, Bates is the 2009 Four Continents bronze medalist, the 2008 World Junior champion, and the 2009 U.S. national silver medalist. They competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Early life Evan Bates was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He graduated from Huron High School in 2007 and from the University of Michigan in December 2013 with a degree in Organizational Studies.
Early career Evan Bates began skating at age four. He trained as a single skater and tested up to the Junior level in the USFSA testing structure; landing jumps through the double axel. He began training with ice dancing coaches Yuri Chesnichenko and Yaroslava Nechaeva after they moved to the United States.
First five seasons with Samuelson Bates teamed up with Emily Samuelson in May 2000 following the suggestion of one of their coaches, Gary Clark. After competing on the juvenile level for one season, they moved up a level and won the U.S. national intermediate title in the 2001–2002 season.
In 2002–2003, Samuelson/Bates moved up another level and competed internationally for the first time through the North American Challenge Skate program, placing 10th in the novice ranks at the event in Thunder Bay, Ontario. They did not qualify to the 2003 U.S. Championships but did qualify to the 2004 U.S. Championships, where they won the novice bronze medal. The duo then took the novice silver medal at the Estonia International Ice Dancing Championships. They would win the national novice title at the 2005 U.S. Championships.
2005–2006 season Samuelson/Bates moved up to the junior level. They debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix. At the 2005–06 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Slovakia, they placed sixth in the compulsory dance, tenth in the original dance, and 6th in the free dance to place eighth overall. At the event in Sofia, Bulgaria, they placed fifth in all three segments of the competition and overall. They won their sectional championship to qualify for the 2006 U.S. Championships, where they won the silver medal on the junior level. This medal qualified them for a trip to the 2006 Junior Worlds, where they placed tenth.
2006–2007 season: Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalists Samuelson/Bates remained on the junior level. They competed on the 2006–07 ISU Junior Grand Prix. At their event in Mexico, they won all three competition segments and the gold medal overall. At their event in Taipei, they placed second in the compulsory dance and won the original and free dances to win the gold medal overall. These medals qualified them for the Junior Grand Prix Final. At the Junior Grand Prix Final, they placed second behind training mates Hubbell/Hubbell. Qualifying for the Junior Grand Prix Final had given them a bye to the 2007 U.S. Championships. Competing again against the Hubbells, Samuelson/Bates won the junior national title. They were placed on the team to the 2007 World Junior Championships. At Junior Worlds, they were in second place going into the free dance. However, they were forced to withdraw from the competition in the middle of their free dance due to injury. Bates stepped on the back of Samuelson's hand after she fell shortly into the free dance, severing a tendon. Their withdrawal, combined with the placement of the other American teams, meant the U.S. would only have two entries to the 2008 Junior Worlds.
2007–2008 season: World Junior champion and second Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalists
Samuelson/Bates remained juniors internationally but moved up to seniors nationally. They began their season on the 2007–08 ISU Junior Grand Prix. Skating with a minor knee injury at their first Junior Grand Prix event in Lake Placid, Samuelson/Bates won all three segments of the competition to win the gold medal overall. At their second event, they won both the compulsory and original dances but placed second in the free dance to win the gold medal overall. These medals qualified them for the 2007–08 Junior Grand Prix Final and also earned them a bye to the 2008 U.S. Championships. At the Junior Grand Prix Final, they placed third in the compulsory dance and second in the original and free dances to win the silver medal overall.
At the U.S. Championships, Samuelson/Bates made their senior national debut. They placed fourth in the compulsory and original dances. In the free dance, Samuelson/Bates fell during a lift that had been inserted into the program for the senior program due to the different requirements between junior and senior-level free dances. They placed 6th in the free dance and won the pewter medal, continuing their medal streak at the U.S. Championships. Their placement at the U.S. Championships earned them a trip to the 2008 World Junior Championships. At Junior Worlds, they won all three competition segments and the title overall.
2008–2009 season: Four Continents bronze Making their senior international debut, Samuelson/Bates won gold at the 2008 Nebelhorn Trophy after placing second in the compulsory dance and first in the next two segments. They finished fourth in their senior Grand Prix debut at the 2008 Skate America. At their next Grand Prix event, the 2008 NHK Trophy, they won the bronze medal after placing third in the compulsory dance, fourth in the original dance, and fourth in the free dance.
At the 2009 U.S. Championships, they placed second in all three segments of the competition and won the silver medal overall. It was their sixth consecutive medal at the U.S. Championships. Due to their result, they were assigned to the 2009 Four Continents and the 2009 World Championships. At the Four Continents, they placed fourth in the compulsory dance and then third in the original and free dances to win the bronze medal overall. At Worlds, they placed thirteenth in the compulsory dance, eleventh in the original dance, and ninth in the free dance for an eleventh-place overall result.
2009–2010 season: First Olympics Samuelson/Bates finished fifth at the 2009 Skate Canada International and fourth at the 2009 Trophee Eric Bompard. After taking the bronze medal at the 2010 U.S. Championships, they were named to the U.S. Olympic team. In February, they placed fourteenth in the compulsory dance, eleventh in the original dance, eleventh in the free dance, and eleventh overall at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
In March, Samuelson/Bates placed tenth in all segments but ninth overall at the 2010 World Championships in Turin, Italy. On April 28, 2010, they announced their decision to leave their long-time coaches, Yuri Chesnichenko and Yaroslava Nechaeva, to train with Igor Shpilband and Marina Zueva in Canton, Michigan.
2010–2011 season: Injury and end of partnership In September 2010, Bates sustained a complete laceration of his Achilles tendon after Samuelson struck him with her skate blade as she came down from a lift. As a result, they missed the entire 2010–2011 season. In June 2011, it was reported that they had ended their partnership. On June 28, 2011, Samuelson and Bates confirmed their split and said they were both looking for new partners.
Chock and Bates career 2011–2012 season: First season with Chock
On July 1, 2011, Bates and Madison Chock announced their partnership and that they would continue to be coached by Shpilband and Zueva. They finished fourth at the 2011 Skate Canada International, fifth at the 2011 Trophée Éric Bompard, and fifth at the 2012 U.S. Championships. After Zueva and Shpilband ended their coaching partnership, Chock/Bates were the first team to announce that they would continue training with Shpilband.
2012–2013 season: Four Continents bronze
Chock/Bates finished fourth at the 2012 U.S. International Classic and then won gold at the 2012 Nebelhorn Trophy. They then competed at the 2012 Cup of China and finished fourth. At the 2013 U.S. Nationals, Chock/Bates were able to win the silver medal ahead of Shibutani/Shibutani. They were named in the U.S. team to the 2013 Four Continents, where they won the bronze medal. They finished seventh overall at the 2013 World Championships. Chock/Bates competed at the 2013 World Team Trophy and placed first in ice dance, helping Team USA win the team gold for the first time since 2009.
2013–2014 season: Sochi Olympics Chock and Bates were assigned to two Grand Prix events, the 2013 Cup of China and 2013 Rostelecom Cup, and won bronze at both. They won the silver medal at the 2014 U.S. Championships and were named to the U.S. Olympic team. They finished eighth at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Chock and Bates placed fourth in the short dance, fifth in the free dance, and fifth overall at the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan.
2014–2015 season: World silver, Four Continents silver and first Grand Prix Final medal
Chock/Bates took silver at the 2014 Nebelhorn Trophy, an ISU Challenger Series event, and then won both their Grand Prix events at the 2014 Skate America and 2014 Rostelecom Cup. The team went on to win the silver at the Grand Prix Final in December and then their first senior national title at the 2015 U.S. Championships in January.
In February, Chock/Bates won silver at the 2015 Four Continents Championships in Seoul, where they finished second to Canada's Weaver/Poje by a margin of 1.28 points. In March, they capped off their season with silver at the 2015 World Championships in Shanghai, China. Ranked first in the short dance and second in the free, they finished with a total score 2.94 points less than the champions, Papadakis/Cizeron of France, and 1.92 more than the bronze medalists, Weaver/Poje.
2015–2016 season: World bronze, second consecutive Four Continents and Grand Prix Final medal
Chock/Bates won gold at the 2015 Nebelhorn Trophy, again an ISU Challenger Series event. At the event, they received comments that "Dark Eyes" was not suitable for a polka rhythm. They changed the short dance music to "More" and "Unchained Melody" to clarify the rhythms, and won the gold at the 2015 Skate America followed by a silver at 2015 Cup of China. They then won the silver medal at the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final in Barcelona, behind Canadians Weaver/Poje.
In March, Chock/Bates won the bronze medal at the 2016 World Championships in Boston, having finished third behind Papadakis/Cizeron and Shibutani/Shibutani in both segments.
2016–2017 season: Four Continents bronze Chock/Bates began their season with silver medals at four international events, the 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, 2016 CS Ondrej Nepela Memorial, 2016 Skate Canada International, and 2016 Rostelecom Cup. In December, they placed sixth in the short dance, fourth in the free, and sixth overall at the Grand Prix Final in Marseille, France. In January, they ranked second in the short dance and first in the free dance at the 2017 U.S. Championships, losing overall to the Shibutanis by 1.01.