Chock, Bates earn season-high marks; medal favorites to come


February 17, 2014, 12:37 PM E-mail the writer

epa04081830 Madison Chock and Evan Bates of USA perform during the Ice Dance Short Dance of the Figure Skating event at the Iceberg Palace during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, Sochi, Russia, 16 February 2014. EPA/HOW HWEE YOUNGMadison Chock and Evan Bates of USA perform during the Ice Dance Short Dance of the Figure Skating event at the Iceberg Palace during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, Sochi, Russia, 16 February 2014. EPA/HOW HWEE YOUNG


Americans Madison Chock, 21, and Evan Bates, 24, won the crowd’s approval with their free skate to music from “Les Miserables” in Monday’s ice dance finale.


In eighth place heading into the free skate, Chock and Bates, who only started competing together in 2011, surpassed their previous season’s best scores by nearly four points, earning 99.18.


That vaulted them into second (164.64), with six duos yet to compete—including the five top-scorers in Sunday’s short program.


Siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani are a provisional third (155.17)


Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White, the 2010 Olympic silver medalists, will compete last; their chief rivals, Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, will skate 17th and lag 2.56 points.


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Photos from Day 10 | Daily TV schedule | U.S. medal winners