The Ice Dance event at the 2025 World Championships saw a series of top-level skates and memorable choreography. Madison Chock and Evan Bates became three-time world champions in front of the home audience, while Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada and Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain took home the silver and bronze medals respectively. Here’s a closer look at some of the moments of the event!
Results
🥇 Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA)
🥈 Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (Canada)
🥉 Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (Great Britain)
Becoming three-time world champions in front of the home audience were Madison Chock and Evan Bates, with 222.06 points. They were first in both the rhythm and free dances. They opened their rhythm dance strongly with level four twizzles, and demonstrated complexity in the choreo rhythm sequence, which earned 5s and 4s from the judges. Chock and Bates were sharp on their midline step, and really sold the choreography, engaging the spectators. It was a season’s best score of over 90 points. Their jazzy free dance enables them to highlight the poise and charisma of their skating, and their transition into Take Five after the dance spin was effectively executed. The clean program earned a standing ovation from the crowd in Boston.
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada won the silver medal with 216.54 points. Their Beach Boys and The Surfaris rhythm dance concept is unique, and they commit to the feel and concept of it throughout. They put out a great rotational lift that earned 7.51 points, and closed out with a fun and energetic choreo rhythm sequence. Their free dance is memorable and creative, combining Air on the G String with Annie Lennox and a tango. They shone in their rotational lifts again, and were clean through the twizzles. It was a strong performance which earned high grades of execution throughout.
Great Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson finished third, with 207.11 points. They are both strong performers, and this works well with the rhythm dance theme. They showcased fluidity through the pattern dance step, and closed out strongly with the lift to finish their clean skate. Their free dance this season is to Beyonce’s music, and opened with ‘Halo’. The team really shine in the second half of the program, which plays more to their strengths as entertainers who know how to engage with and project towards a crowd. They were given a deduction for an extended lift, and placed sixth in the free skate.
Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy were fourth, and fourth in both the rhythm and free dances. The quality of their skating was evidenced in their rhythm dance, where they had synchrony and flow throughout the skate, and displayed control in the sliding movement in their midline step. Their robot-themed free dance is a daring choice, and one which shows them explore a different feel and style of skating. They put out a clean performance, and committed to the concept of the program, delivering the choreography with precise, sharp movements.
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko of the USA finished in fifth place with two strong skates. They earned level fours and +2.86 GOE in their twizzles with which they opened their rhythm dance, matching them flawlessly to the fast-paced music. Their energetic choreo rhythm sequence and midline step convincingly emulated the ‘Dance Party’ theme. The team’s ‘Carmen’ free dance is certainly a highlight this season; they both embody the opera’s narrative through all their elements, weaving storytelling seamlessly into their movements, such as the gestures from Carreira in the curve lift. They built up the intensity of their performance to the emphatic ending, and earned 123.37 points for the skate.
Spain’s Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck were sixth, and had a season’s best for their clean rhythm dance which earned 77.21 points. They were standouts in the free dance to ‘Dune’. They thoroughly immerse the audience in the world of the saga from the very opening poses and choreography. Their twizzles were well synchronised, all while conveying the music, and their straight line lift was timed to the swell of the music, with their movements and the soundtrack highlighting one another. They were third in the free dance with 123.71 points.
Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha of Canada finished in seventh place, just over half a point behind Smart/Dieck. They showcased great flow in their rhythm dance, all the while maintaining the precision of their movements, delivering a high-energy skate. Their free dance was to ‘The Sound of Silence’, and included a quality dance spin. The team do well with big pieces, and matched the music’s expansive build-up with their skating. They had a beautiful choreo slide move near the end of their program, which ended in a moment of stillness: the interplay between dynamism and pause was notable.
European silver medalists Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud of France were eighth. They always opt for different, interesting programs, and the choice of ‘Rasputin’ for their rhythm dance is no different: it’s memorable, and got the crowd going. Their free dance is an intense program to music by BFRND with a notable opening, and they sustained this energy throughout. The team used the choreo assist jump to transition into the slower piece of music, which was effective.
Caroline Green and Michael Parsons of the USA were ninth in front of the home audience. Their ‘These Boots Were Made for Walking’ rhythm dance is fun, and they built up speed in the opening moments of their performance. The ‘Spiegel im Spiegel’ and ‘Dance Me to the End of Love’ program starts off quiet, and lets them highlight the lyrical, expressive nature of their skating; their movements became more expansive as the program progressed, matching the music.
Other notable skates included Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin from Georgia in tenth place. Their choreo slide in the free skate was interesting, as was their curve lift; they put out a clean skate and earned 117.28 points from the judges. Finnish team Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis were eleventh, coming back from twentieth place after the rhythm dance, where Versluis fell on the midline step. Their tango free dance is a standout this season, and the choreo lift where Turkkila balances on Versluis’s boot is a highlight. Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek of Czechia finished twelfth. Their Beatles rhythm dance had great flow and speed, and showcased synchronised cartwheels in the midline step. They put out a quality stationary lift in their ‘Rain, In Your Black Eyes’ free skate. Compatriots Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler put out strong performances and finished thirteenth. The curve lifts with which they opened the free dance had impressive and sustained positions, and the team’s twizzles were controlled and synchronised. Yuka Orihara and Juho Pirinen of Finland have two memorable and effective programs this year. The ‘YMCA’ section at the end of their rhythm dance is a fan favourite, and they really sell the choreography. Their ‘Chorus Line’ free program works to their strengths, with an effervescent opening, and ballet moves integrated into their assisted jumps. They shone in the choreo character step sequence and engaged with the audience. France’s Loicia Demougeot and Theo le Mercier finished in fifteenth place; their lifts were a highlight of their free dance, and they secured level fours for them. Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius of Lithuania had a fall in the midline step of their rhythm dance, which proved to be a costly error; although the skate was strong otherwise, they scored 68.08 points and finished 21st in the rhythm dance, making them unable to qualify for the free dance.
Click here to watch our recap livestream with Gabriella Papadakis and Kirsten Moore-Towers!
